Valkyrie
by Sabellion
Summary: Garrus' story, filling in the in between moments from all the Mass Effect games, in a non-sequential order. Paragon Shepard, Garrus x Femshep. References to Kaidan x Femshep. Shakarian. T for violence, language, mild gore, and sexual references.
1. Chooser of the Slain

Bullets and explosions ripped around him, and how the concrete held at all was a mystery to him. His back was to the wall, literally and metaphorically, and he knew that this was it. It wasn't about survival, this was about a message. If Archangel was to go down, he would make sure that every single merc bastard that crossed that bridge went with him. They would tell stories, and at best, he hoped, a few might try to follow that example. Maybe they'd end up better than him. Spirits knew that he failed.

There was a moment's pause in the apocalypse of high caliber slugs being thrown at him. He grabbed the knife that lay at his side, the remnants of a mirror still attached to the end. He raised it up, millimeter by millimeter, until the deafening sound of a Mantis struck his ears like a drum. He smiled though, as he crawled to the right. He saw that Salarian son of a bitch. Two rows of barricades back, in-between the two rightmost crates. He pulled his rifle up, through the bullet hole that was ripped through the top of the wall and aimed.

One pull of the trigger later, and the number on his visor went from 425 to 426 as the explosion of colors burst out the back of the Salarian's helmet. He scanned the horizon now. Hopefully there wasn't another sniper, but it was all clear for now except-

A small group dodged behind the barricade. His visor quickly brought up statistics, barriers and weapons. One of them was carrying a Carnifex. Another had barriers that would block at least one shot unless he was lucky. He couldn't get the last one on his scanners. He shook his head, bewildered. These mercs weren't that well armored. He knew that eventually, they would have to freelance this work out due to the high mortality rate, but how much had they promised them? Surely he wasn't worth that much. Especially considering the dozens he'd taken down today alone. That counter was close to 300 before this all started.

A small glint caught his eye. He fired, as a mercenary's body slumped and fell down. The little group he saw before moved just out of range but they were human. He checked his thermal clips. Enough for around 100 more shots. A day at best, assuming he didn't collapse first from exhaustion. That's what the stims were for though, and they'd last for…well, he might have to improvise. If only they-

Shit! He fired, but missed. He swore under his breath, but shook it off. Two were on the bridge now, behind the little concrete pillars that were along the walkway. He let the air burst out from his lungs. Today was just getting better and better. Maybe he wouldn't have to worry about running out of stims after all. Small victories, he thought.

He would have chuckled if it weren't so true. As it were, he merely lost track of his thoughts for a second time, and another group was over. Four. _Damn it, Vakarian,_ he thought, _keep it together._ _Make it home. You've got to try. You made a promise._

He narrowed his vision, only a sliver of his head was in sight, but it was enough. 427. He shifted his gaze up as a bullet landed far to his side. 428. The group with two was starting to move up the left flank. He missed anything vital but the merc's shoulder armor now lay sundered on the bridge. More were coming, jumping over the barricade. 429. It was too much. This was the end of the line. Garrus Vakarian's last stand.

His omni-tool beeped. The little words, blazed in oranged said _Incoming Message: Palaven._ He didn't have to see the ID. His finger lingered over the _ignore_ button for a moment, but stopped. Spirits, he wasn't sure he'd have another chance to talk. Better on their terms than his. He tapped the accept call button.

"Garrus?" His father's voice was like cracked glass.

"Dad." Garrus said, gunfire echoing down the line to him.

"What's that noise?"

"Just a little target practice." Garrus said. 430.

"Should...should I call back later?" His father asked. Garrus felt his stomach turn. He'd never heard the man who was so strict, who told him right from wrong so _afraid._ He had faced down countless enemies, survived the greatest ordeals and never an ounce of emotion.

"Don't think I'll be able to do that." Garrus said,firing another shot. 431. "Too many targets."

"Oh." His father's voice wasn't so soft now. Every turian takes some sort of comfort in the inescapable, he guessed. "Solana said it was something like that."

"I...I'm glad you called. I just wanted to hear your voice, Dad." Garrus said, "Wanted to know how retirement was treating you. You good?"

"I'm fine. But, forget about that, Garrus." His father said. Garrus had to duck behind cover again.

"Listen. I don't have a lot of time, Dad. I wanted to say…" Garrus sighed, leaning back against the wall, letting the warzone just fade into the background. His subharmonics buzzed with regret, and longing. He'd give up just about anything to see someone, anyone again. "You were right, Dad. You were right. About a lot of things. A lot more than I ever gave you credit for-and I'm sorry I fought with you so much."

"I told you before, and I'll tell you again, Garrus. Forget about that."

Garrus let his silence answer the old man.

"These targets you're practicing on, they're moving fast?" His father said. Garrus chuckled under his breath. He remembered a time from long, long ago. His father sounded just as he did then. _My job as your father isn't to make your life easy._ It normally would have made him angry, to hear him try to tell him how to act, but, right now...not so much.

"Not fast enough. But they're learning."

"How many thermal clips do you have?"

"You know how it is, Dad. Always could use some more."

"Then _work_ with what you've got. Don't stop pulling that trigger until it _clicks_ , Garrus." His father said, "As long as you've got one bullet left, you can still get the job done. Understand, soldier?"

Garrus let out a hollow chuckle. Nodding, even though he knew his father couldn't see it. "Yes, sir."

"I'll stop distracting you. Finish up your target practice and come home. We have a lot to sort out."

"Yeah...We do. Thanks, Dad. For everything." Garrus said. The line cut out. He took aim once more. He wished his father was here. He wished he could talk to his mother, and to Solana. He wished Shepard were here. She'd know what to do. They were jumping the barricade again, dozens of mercs. Everytime he thought he'd worn them down a little, taken out more bodies then they could throw, the reinforcements would arrive and-

There was a story he was told.

When a person dies, they don't realize it. To those on the outside their vitals just fade away, but inside their mind, in those last seconds; their dreams come true. They get closure, they get something that lets them pass on. Their minds are flooded with endorphins, and they hallucinate, before falling into the abyss.

Right now, Garrus Vakarian was hallucinating. There had to be no other explanation. He was dead, sniped off by someone, something and this was the last few moments as his blood pooled around his body. Or maybe the stress of two days and the loss of his team finally caught up with him, tearing through his already strained and fractured psyche. Either or, really. He couldn't tell. But it was the only thing that made any sense. There was nothing else to explain what was before him.

Commander Shepard was there. Her feet had barely touched the ground. She popped her knuckles, as her comrade said something to her. He didn't catch it, but their lips moved. A mercenary moved into the compound, but it didn't matter. He pressed a small button on his rifle, switching to concussive shots as he decided to see if the illusion would fade. He should just use a normal round, but, just in case…he squeezed the trigger, the bullet tearing through the air to be stopped by a shimmer of blue. She stumbled back, and the two humans at her side seemed startled, but they began firing. Not at him, but at the other mercs. Shepard, her eyes now alight with angry fire stared up at him.

" _What the hell, Garrus?"_ her memory said in his mind. " _Where did you learn to shoot?"_

Here, it would have been poetic if he gasped, and they locked eyes. He'd have to live with the fact that this would be a moment that he would recall, that would haunt him, day after day as he was jolted back into existence as debris struck his helmet. He shouldered his rifle, clicking back to normal rounds. He pulled the trigger. One, by one they fell. 437. 438. 439. 440.

 _Looks like I finally beat you, Sensat. Not that explosives ever count._ He thought. A smile crept upon his face, his mandible twitching as he took out three more. He heard gunfire behind him, and he glanced at the screens in his helmet that showed the video feeds from within the base.

"They're with Archangel!" A human said, before his body slumped against one of the walls. Garrus shook his head before looking back down his sights. One last hold out on the bridge, behind a little concrete planter. The door hissed open behind, the steel revealing his would be saviors, heavily armed, fully armored.

"Archangel?" Shepard asked, all cool authority. He raises his hand, the little bastard was peeking out from cover.

441\. They were scared now, and with a little hum of approval under his helm, he put the rifle down. Their lives were full of overacting and melodrama. He stood up, wrenching the helmet off his head.

"Shepard…" His voice was cool, collected. Unlike him.

He watched her face change, her mouth open slightly and a smile stretch across her face. But before he could smile, exhaustion rushed over him. He sat down, balancing himself on some old crates. He looked up at her for just a second. "I thought you were dead."

"Garrus!" Shepard said, arms spread wide. She took a tentative step forward, but stopped. He saw her swallow, gulping down her anxiety. He smiled, the best a turian could, watching as she returned the favor, strained and distant.

"What are you doing out here?" Shepard asked.

Garrus laughed, shaking his head. "I could ask you the same thing, you know."

"I'm just surprised to see you."

 _You have no idea, Shepard._

"You and me both. I'm just happy to see you again. It's good to see a friendly face for once today. Killing mercs is hard work. Especially on my own." Garrus said. _Play it cool, you Turian bastard._

"You do know you shot me out there, right?"

"Concussive rounds only. No harm done. Didn't want the mercs getting suspicious." Garrus said. _Wanted to make sure you were real and I wasn't going crazy too, but…_

Shepard shifted her weight, one eyebrow shooting upwards. "Uh-huh?"

He glared her down, "If I wanted to do more than take your shields down, I'd have done it. Shepard."

"Right." Shepard said, as she walked back to her squad mates. He glanced between them, both human. One of each sex, one carrying scars across his face like medallions, the other all regality and charm, an insignia he had learned to notice on her upper chest.

"You know, Shepard, you never properly introduced us." Garrus said, his eyes shifting back at her.

"Right." Shepard said. She waved her arm towards the man whose scars blotted the half of his face. "This is Zaeed Massani. Zaeed, this is Officer Vakarian."

"Pleasure." Zaeed growled.

"Please, it's just Vakarian now. Archangel if you're feeling dramatic." Garrus said. He had heard of him, somewhere. Tied to the Blue Suns, he knew that. "And you are?"

"Operative Miranda Lawson." The woman said, putting her hand on her hip. _Cerberus. What are they doing here? More importantly, what are they doing with Shepard?_ "We've come to recruit you, Archangel, for a mission of utmost importance."

Garrus looked at Shepard who shrugged. Shepard then said, "We can talk more about that after this, Miranda. Right now we've got a few more pressing matters."

"Of course, Commander." Miranda said.

"Speaking of, when did you start calling yourself Archangel?" Shepard said.

"It's just a name the locals gave me. For all my _good_ deeds." Garrus replied, and with a little chuckle vibrating in his chest, "I don't mind it, but please, it's just 'Garrus' to you" He coughed out his name.

"And how exactly did you manage to piss off every major merc organization this side of the Terminus systems?" Shepard said.

"Funny story. Wasn't easy." Garrus said, a sly grin spread across his mandibles. "I really had to work at it. I guess if you almost assassinate all three local leaders and kill damn near half their forces, they'll get pissed off. Although, I am amazed that they teamed up to fight me. They must _really_ hate me."

"You crazy bastard." Zaeed said.

"The problem now is getting out alive." Garrus said. "That bridge has been keeping me alive."

Shepard turned her head, as though listening to something in her ear. "I guess we'll have to try to get across again." She said, a moment later.

"They'll slaughter us." Miranda said, "But you're right, I don't see many other options."

"Any ideas, Garrus?" Shepard said. Her blue eyes sparkled. He popped his neck as he stood back up, shouldering his rifle. He looked across the bridge, watching, counting those that hid behind their barricades.

"Not sure right now." Garrus said. "They tried coming up from the garage and the basement earlier."

" _Tried_?" Shepard asked.

"A friend left me some explosive charges just in case." Garrus said. _Dammit. Forgot to take them into account. Guess you're back on top, Sensat._ "So, that's a no go. The way I see it, we either wait them out, or try our luck and kill our way across."

"EDI, scan the other side of the bridge, tell us how many hostiles are there." Miranda said.

Garrus looked at Shepard, with a face that she assumed was analogous to raising an eyebrow. At least, the other times he'd given her that look in the past meant that. "It's the _Normandy_ 's new AI"

"You rebuilt her and gave her an AI?" Garrus asked.

"Long story, Garrus."

"How about this. You get us out of here alive and we can exchange stories about the past two years." Garrus said. He leaned in, and whispered, "Because I'm not sure how I feel about you working with Cerberus, Shepard."

"How did you know?" Shepard said.

"I wasn't in C-SEC for years without picking up something. I know that insignia anywhere."

"Alright. I'll tell you after all of this is over." Shepard said. "But, you've got to trust me."

"Don't worry, Shepard. I'd follow you anywhere. But, I am interested. I'll just have to hold you to your word." Garrus said.

"Thanks." Shepard said.

"So, we're just going to hold them off here?" Zaeed said.

"You've got a better idea?" Garrus said, checking his ammunition one more time.

"Goddamn suicide." Zaeed said, "It'll be less painful that way."

Miranda shook her head. "I trust the Commander." She said, "Where do you want us, Shepard?"

"Garrus?" Shepard asked, looking back to him.

"They're your squad, not mine." Garrus said. He turned away from her. "Like I'd know how to leave them if they were."

He could feel her worry. He didn't have to see her eyebrows slam together. She put a hand on his shoulder, forcing him to see her big blue eyes. He saw everything in them before she had a chance to say it. "I'm sorry."

"It's…" he said. He could not say the rest of the sentence as planned.

"We'll get through this, together." Shepard said, rubbing his arm, "It'll be just like old times."

A laugh escaped him, as his eyes flicked upwards towards hers. "Right. But instead of a shit-ton of geth, it's a shit ton of mercs." Garrus said.

"Could be worse." Shepard said.

"I like the odds." Garrus said, as he shouldered his rifle.

"You always were the crazy one, Garrus." Shepard said, before pulling out her rifle. "Miranda, Zaeed, go downstairs. You're better close range anyways."

"Of course, Commander." Miranda said, cocking her pistol as they left through the doors.

"EDI, patch Garrus through to our COMMS."

"Right away, Commander. Hello, Officer Vakarian." A pleasant voice said into his ear.

"You're the Normandy's new AI?" Garrus asked, as he looked up. He always wondered why every species did that. It was like they were speaking to God.

"Yes. When Cerberus rebuilt the Normandy, seamless upgrades were allowed for. I was just one of many." EDI said.

Garrus tapped his ear, turning off his Comm link as he leaned over to Shepard, "After all that nonsense with the Geth, Sovereign, and that AI on Luna, you're really going to trust this?"

"She's not that bad, Garrus." Shepard said. Garrus shook his head, settling his sights again.

"She's ship-cancer if you ask me." Another voice said over the COMMS.

"Joker?" Garrus asked, momentarily lowering his rifle.

"Hello to you too, Garrus." Joker said, "Missed me?"

Garrus blinked, looking at Shepard. She rolled her eyes, but she smiled. That was enough.

"I guess." Garrus said, "Good to see you're still with Shepard."

"Wow. You haven't changed one bit." He said.

"What did you expect, Flight Lieutenant?"

Joker laughed, "Wouldn't have it any other way, big guy. Now, get your asses out of there. I don't think Cerberus has the funds to rebuild both of you."

Garrus raised an inquisitive look at Shepard, but she shook her head. "Later, Garrus. Remember our deal. They're getting ready for another offensive."

He peered down the scope once more. LOKI mechs, jumped over the barricade, their off white metallic armor clanking as they set their red eyes upwards, their guns moving with them. On the sides of their arms, a little golden sun was spray painted on.

"Looks like scouts. Eclipse, I think." Garrus said, as a he fired his first shot. The mech, now headless, crumpled to the floor. "Let's give these bastards everything we've got."

Shepard smiled, as she pulled her trigger. He bent down, firing away as the bridge became nothing short of chaos. Dozens of LOKI mechs started to move across slowly, followed by a few more mercs. Garrus began picking them off one by one. He grinned as new names came up on the scoreboard, underneath 12 others. Garrus: 445, Sensat: 439, Grundan Krul: 330, Ripper: 312, Sidonis: 299, Melenis: 294, Vortash: 243, Erash: 221, Monteague: 205, Butler: 197, Weaver: 188, Shepard: 7, Zaeed: 6, Miranda: 5. He tapped the visor quickly, as the old data was saved away. Now it showed only the four.

Garrus: 63 ( _Today counted, dammit.),_ Shepard: 11 _,_ Miranda: 9 _,_ Zaeed: 8.

Music began to play in his ear. Shots fired off with dramatic bravado, echoing the booming blares of horns and beat of drums that coursed through his veins. Every time he leaned over the barricade to fire a shot, Shepard would follow quickly, taking out the target right beside his. As he moved, she did too. He shifted to the left side, and looked to where she was supposed to be but she had vanished. For a moment he thought he had imagined everything, before she shimmered into existence right beside him. Shepard: 18

"Getting rusty, Garrus?"

"Last I checked, I had the higher kill count."

"Only cause you keep sniping the ones whose shields I pop."

"In your dreams, Shepard!" Garrus said, three shots firing in quick succession. "Scoped and dropped!" Her lips curled up in a pout. He shrugged as he kept firing. She followed in suit.

"They're bringing in the Heavy Mechs!" Garrus shouted, watching as the mechanical arm twisted and threw it into the fray.

"That problem should handle itself!" Shepard said, still firing.

Garrus watched as a wave of biotic energy threw a mercenary off the bridge. The massive mech turned on its heel and began mowing the helpless mercs down. Garrus almost felt sorry. _Almost_. But when Jarroth, the little Salarian that he'd been hunting for months finally fell, all of that guilt just rushed out of him. An explosion rocked the mech as it finally fell a few moments later.

"Shepard! We've got more Blood Pack bastards incoming." Zaeed said over the radio.

"Fall back!" Shepard said. "Get back up here!"

"Yes, Commander." Miranda said. Garrus didn't know how to feel about the _detachedness_ of her voice. She listened to the commander, but it seemed...disrespectful, insubordinate. He wasn't sure. He didn't have time to think, as the combined forces of the Eclipse and Blood Pack descended upon them. The blast behind them brought his mouth to speak before he could think.

"Take out the Krogan first!" Garrus said.

"You heard him! Do it!" Shepard said. The two finally reached the top of the stairs. Miranda quickly sealed the door.

Zaeed switched over to his sniper rifle, peering over the back wall as he fired away. Miranda joined him. Garrus kept firing across the bridge, Shepard at his side.

"Damn, he's regenerating too fast!" Miranda said. "They're climbing the stairs!"

"Not good, Shepard." Garrus said. "Ideas?"

"One." Shepard said, as she put her rifle away, grabbing another weapon from her back. She had already disappeared before Garrus had a chance to say anything. "Distract him!"

Garrus threw a grenade over the balcony as he sprinted and slid over to the other humans. He reloaded before pulling himself over and firing continuously at Garm. Bastard, freak of nature. "RIP THEM TO SHREDS!" The krogan shouted. "I'll deal with Archangel!"

He kept firing and firing, but the bastard's shield kept him safe, and when they finally fell, his barriers were there and then his armor. He was rushing up to the door, shotgun in hand, a pack of angry vorcha and varren behind him. Garrus saw a shimmer far behind him, as Shepard materialized, a _grenade launcher_ in her hands. She aimed for just a second. By the Spirits, he hadn't missed her complete insanity.

He pulled the humans down. Miranda shot daggers at him but they disappeared as the blood and guts splashed around them. He pat her back with a little nod as he stood up and kept firing. "Shepard's out there by herself. Cover her!"

Zaeed and Miranda kept firing, as they continued their impossible stand. Garrus watched Shepard as she whipped out her pistol, taking out the varren that tried to pounce on her. His rifle immediately covered the door into the bedroom that she had cornered herself in. _Just another corridor. Funnel these witless idiots into my scope._

"Commander, more hostiles are approaching." EDI chimed in over the COMMS. "And the Blue Sun's Gunship is powering up."

"Dammit, I thought I took that thing out." Garrus said as he returned to the other side of the room. _Shepard can handle herself._

"Well it's not going to be fully repaired. We made sure-" Shepard said, grunting loudly. He watched as she shot another varren that had gotten in and was practically on top of her. " _\- of that."_

"You need to get back over here, Shepard." Miranda said, "We can't keep them off of you for much longer."

"Roger that. On my way."

He heard the noise of zip cords as he looked at the window. "Bastards finally got smart. Left side! They're rappelling down."

Miranda hid behind one of the couches that provided limited cover from the wall. Glass shattered as three Blue Suns dropped in. She stood up, glowing with Biotic might as she tossed them out the window.

Shepard stepped through, slamming the door shut once more behind her. "How many are left?"

"Not too much more. I think we can make a break for-"

 _Oh shit._ The overpowering sound of the Gunship filled Garrus' ears. He turned around, face to face with a massive black metal monstrosity. "You think you can fuck with Blue Suns?!" a batarian's voice shouted over the com as it began firing. Garrus dived for cover, shuffling behind one of the couches, but it was being torn to shreds. Shepard clung to the wall, but it wasn't enough. If she tried to move she was dead, and if she didn't, the damn missiles would take her out. His visor notified that her shields were dropping to critical levels. 11% left. _Maybe_ three more seconds. Maybe.

"This ends now!" The batarian shouted. Garrus stood, rifle aimed directly at the cockpit. Through the blackened windows, the batarian locked eyes with him. He face contorted in anger, as Garrus brought his crosshairs in between his eyes. He pulled the trigger twice, watching as the illegal military grade ordinance flew straight at him, leaving a trail of fire in its wake. He didn't have time to see the results of his shot.

Everything went white and then black, his body felt distant, like a memory.

"Garrus!" her voice was pleasant. But quiet. As though heard through multiple walls, across vast plains or even just a sudden memory of two years past. Everything around his head was warm, and he knew that he should be in pain, but it was so far away; so alien and absurd.

"Gunship down!" another voice yelled. He never realized how comfortable the ground was. It was so warm too. He could just fall asleep here, just like his teammates had. _Just, go to sleep, Garrus. It'll be alright. You've been fighting too long anyways._

It all just started to slip away. He closed his eyes.

But she touched him. _Her_ hand, _Shepard's_ hand. She was shaking, her fingers resting on his arm. She needed him. It brought his thoughts back. He gasped, fire burning through his lungs and body. He could see the blue blood that stuck to his face, the names still etched out onto his visor. He was alive.

"Garrus!" Shepard shouted.

He clenched his rifle in his hand. She rolled him over. "We're getting you out of here, Garrus." He was dying. It was painful, wretched, and warm, which was a bit of a surprise.

"Just hold on.", she said, her voice a whisper.

Blood began to collect in the back of his throat, gurgling against his tongue. It's bitter, metallic taste overpowered everything else. He couldn't move, he couldn't do anything in the overwhelming pain that trampled his soul but stare up at her. Into those eyes he thought he'd never see again.

So much for the flood of endorphins he heard about.

"Joker! Tell Chakwas to ready the Medbay for a critically injured Turian!" Shepard shouted, holding his face. He felt the medigel start to fill his system. Her hands were so nice, even as they pressed down into him with agonizing pressure.

"He's not going to make it." Human voices weren't that deep, that slow.

Garrus blinked, everything was starting to go a little fuzzy, and dull throbbing painlessness began to creep back over him. _Sleep._ His extremities began to tingle, buzzing pleasantly. Shepard looked into his eyes finally. Were they ever more blue?

"Garrus? Garrus! Stay with me. Just hold on. Just hold on."

The edges of thought and sight began to fade, tunneled out into darkness, and shadow. But she was here. She was warm, and she was looking at him.

He always knew that his last moments were destined to be happy ones.


	2. Reestablishment

_Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Oww...Fuck._

"How is he?"

Auditory processing was the first system to turn back on. Then the tingling of his limbs, the throbbing of every pulse in his head. The voices that spoke were far away, across a field of pain and medications. Everything was fading in as though approaching through a fog. He couldn't really feel it, but he knew he was going to be sore.

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Shepard?_

"Turian physiology resilient. Accompanied by incentive to survive, should make easy recovery."

 _Beep._

 _Who the hell is that? Salarian?_

"Painful though. Should take care of facial wounds. Will scar. Concerned about you, however. Biometrics scan showing neurological distress. Exhaustion."

"I told Chakwas that I'd stay here until he awoke. I've been waiting for him to get up for hours, Doc."

"Worrying will not improve healing rates. Only serves to put you at risk."

His mouth was cotton, dull, tasteless and most importantly, fuzzy. He grimaced and… _GODDAMMIT, MOTHERFUCKER. FUCK ALL THOSE WHO WALK ON TWO LEGS AND HAVE THE AUDACITY TO FIRE A FUCKING GUN. SPIRITS, I WILL MURDERATE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM._

It came out as a small moan.

He wanted to scream, but that wouldn't help. No, half of his entire face felt like it had been ripped off, a multitude of nerves exposed to the clean air. He snorted, coughing as he opened his eyes. It was bright, clean and silver all around.

"He's waking up." Shepard's distant voice said. She was above him, her black hair the sole peices of shadow and darkness in this glaring whiteness. Who the fuck designs a ship this bright?

She's not unhappy with him being awake, but she is concerned. He sees it in her frown. Or is she smiling? It's a bit hard to tell right now.

"Hmm, more resilient than thought. Unsafe. Wounds still closing." The other voice said, as another shape appeared on his right side. "Vitals accelerating. Need him to rest."

"Garrus?" her voice was warm, sticky syrup. Huh. "Just breathe Garrus, we need you to calm down."

"Vitals returning to acceptable levels."

His eyes were closing, a warm darkness surrounding her face. "Get some rest, Vakarian."

"You should aswell. Will provide sleep medications if necessary."

"I'm fine, Mordin."

 _Mordin? The crazy Salarian doctor?_

"Scans suggest otherwise. Will give EDI proper medications. Soothing music, binaural white noise. Will help."

He didn't realize he had closed his eyes until he heard the door open, but couldn't see it. His mind could only imagine what it looked like. He hoped that Shepard was going to be okay.

 _Beep._

 _Beep._

 _Beep…_

When he opened his eyes again he could feel every pulse of his heart sending throbbing aches all across his body like waves. He grunted, sitting up. He winced as he felt his face stretch with movement, his entire right side stiff with wounds. He felt the side of his face, fingers tracing over the cotton bandages that were attached to his face. It was…slightly itchy.

"Ahh, Garrus." A familiar voice said to his side.

The human's white hair brought him some comfort. Like after every mission back in the day, Dr. Karin Chakwas was at his side, patching up the wounds of the days prior. He remembered when she first operated on him how uncomfortable he was with a _human_ doctor poking around inside him. But now, her soft smile and grey hair made him feel a bit safer, a little better. He couldn't imagine anyone else he could trust right now.

"Dr. Chakwas" Garrus said, ignoring the flare of pain that shot up his right mandible with every syllable.

"How are you feeling, Garrus?"

"Sore." Garrus said, touching his face again. He pushed himself up, leaning back on his arms. "How long was I out?", his voice groaning.

"19 hours. You took a hit that'd kill most people." Chakwas said. "Stubborn as always, i thought you'd be out cold for another day or two."

"Should have known better, Doctor." Garrus said, "Turians are a bit hardheaded."

"To say the least." Chakwas said. Garrus reached up, feeling his anesthetized face one more. "In your case, I think that we can take the majority of the bandages off now."

Garrus breathed steadily as she began to unveil his right side. He grimaced as she brought up swabs of antiseptics to his face, pressing them into the wounds. She seethed as she pulled the last of them away, leaning, hovering over them.

"They will scar, Garrus."

He hummed an affirmatory note. "I'd tell you that you need to rest for a few days." Garrus raised the plate above his eye. "But I know that you won't."

"Always knew you wouldn't forget that much, Doctor." Garrus said with a rumbling chuckle. "It's good to see you, I'll admit."

"You as well, Garrus."

"Am I cleared for duty?"

"I know I'm not going to be able to stop you." Chakwas said with a smile. Garrus stood, popping his muscles were stiff, complacent. He grimaced, finally getting his bearings. _They added a window_ , Garrus thought, as he walked out and into the mess hall.

It was so familiar, yet not. Everything was like the original Normandy, but it felt...cozier. Instead of dark steel and low lighting, there was brilliant white, orange and silver steel. Instead of the clean Alliance arc, there was the Cerberus symbol stamped around the walls. Crewmembers milled about, talking and eating. All human, just like before. Yet, just like the ship, their faces were similar, but not the same. Chakwas, Joker, and Shepard were all that lingered from the old ship. _Me as well now, I guess._

"Officer Vakarian." EDI said, startling him. He looked up and around for the speakers. "Commander Shepard is currently on the Combat Deck in the meeting room. She asked that when you awoke that you report to her right away."

"Thank you, EDI." Garrus said, noting now the few crewmates that looked over at him. He had learned to gauge the facial responses of humans and asari, and he saw in their faces surprise, and some intimidation. Yet none of them reacted with the spite, and indifference that many had done on the old Normandy. They offered a curt nod, a small wave, and he responded in kind before he walked around the corner. Where he expected stairs he saw halls and doors, and he walked up to them.

"Officer Vakarian, the male restrooms are on the other side of the ship." EDI calmly notified.

"Oh, right. Sorry." Garrus said as he stood back in the hall and looked around. At least no one was in there. "Where are the stairs to the CIC?"

"The Normandy SR2 uses an elevator system, Officer Vakarian. Down the hall, to your right." EDI said, "However, if you wish to get their manually, there is an emergency ladder in the crew quarters."

"I don't think that'll be necessary." Garrus said, "Thank you...EDI."

"Logging you out, Officer Vakarian."

The Elevator glided upwards, and opened onto the CIC. The ceilings were a bit higher than he was used to. Beside the Galaxy Map a young woman stood, with fiery red hair and green eyes. She turned, a sparkle in her eye as she took stock of him.

"Mr. Vakarian!" She pipped. He nodded, as she approached and offered her hand. There was a flicker of movement in her eyes, and anyone else wouldn't have caught it. She was... _inspecting_ him? She wasn't looking for weaknesses. It reminded him of when his mother took him to museums as a child, when her gaze danced across the canvas and movements of every paint stroke. She wasn't analyzing him, she was _appraising_ him. "My name is Yeoman Kelly Chambers. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, Ms. Chambers." Garrus said, "Do you know how to get to the Briefing Room?"

"Through the armory." Chambers replied, "Shepard's going to be ecstatic that you're awake."

Garrus nodded, as she turned back to her work. He found his way into the armory, before the door slid open into the briefing room. Shepard pushed herself off from leaning on the table and caught his eyes. He saw the stress for a brief second before it melted away. Across from her, another Cerberus agent stood, now looking over his shoulder at him. "Shepard." He said.

"Tough son of a bitch. Didn't think he'd be up yet." The man said. His skin was darker, his muscles toned.

"Nobody would give me a mirror. How bad is it?" Garrus said, taking a step forward.

"Hell, Garrus, you were always ugly. Slap some face paint on there, and no one will even notice." Shepard said with her trademark smile, and for the first time in what felt like a long time he chuckled. It sent a shiver of burnt pain through his face.

"Oh, don't make me laugh, damn it. My face is barely holding together as it is." Garrus said, masking the small hurt in his voice. He saw her face fall, worry and concern set in wrinkles above her eyes. "Some women find facial scars attractive." He added, "Mind you, most of those women are krogan."

She chuckled, shaking her head. She didn't need to know how much this hurt. Not yet.

"Jacob, can you give us some time?" Shepard said, "I want to catch Garrus up on what we're doing."

"Aye, aye, Ma'am." The cerberus agent said with a stiff salute. Garrus watched him pass, before turning to Shepard. They were alone, together, for the first time in _years_. On a Cerberus ship no less, and she had just come back from the dead.

Silence, and awkwardness were called for. But Shepard...Shepard would have none of it. She was nothing if not personable.

"How are you feeling, big guy?" Shepard asked.

"I'm fine. But. I...I'm frankly more worried about you. Cerberus, Shepard? You remember all those sick experiments they were doing?" He said. He didn't want to mention that maybe she was the result of one.

"I know, that's why I want you here. If I'm walking into hell, I want some I can trust at my side." Shepard said. He didn't like how her shoulders sagged when she said that. Her eyes fell.

"You do realize that plan has me walking into hell too, right?" Garrus said, as he walked closer to her. She looked back up at him, a tired smile across her face. "Just like old times."

"I missed you, Garrus." Shepard said, "You always know how to make me laugh."

"Only because you're always doing things I can make fun of." Garrus said, taking another step closer. He wanted to grab her hands and look her in the eye, but he wasn't sure about human customs. Last thing he wanted was to make this awkward. "I missed you too."

"Aww, gone soft on me, Vakarian?" Shepard said.

"You were gone for two years." Garrus said, "When I saw you on the other side of the bridge, I thought I died. I thought you'd come to take me with you."

Shepard's smile faded a little bit as she looked into those electric eyes. They were begging her, pleading for her to tell him that she was real. That she was okay. Words though, wouldn't do it. She thought back to when he left the Normandy.

T _hey stood on the docking bay, his bags at his sides, just talking. As though their conversation would push back their departure time a few more minutes, a few more hours._

 _"Take care of yourself, Vakarian." She said to him, patting him on the arm. He looked at where their bodies connected, just staring, before glancing back up at her._

 _"You too, Alison." Garrus said, "I'm…I'm glad that I went with you."_

 _Practically no one used her first name. The corners of her lips tugged upward. "As am I."_

 _"Will you keep in touch?" Garrus asked. She could hear something in his voice, not picked up by translators. It wasn't just a simple request. His eyes confirmed it-he was begging. She smiled and nodded._

 _"Of course. I'm going to need my best friend and right hand man again one day." Shepard said._

 _He hummed in delight. If there were any other turians around he'd be embarrassed at his subharmonics. Humans would say that he sounded like a puppy seeing its master for the first time in years. Soldiers continued to walk past them, but they were thinning out, saying their last goodbyes._

 _"Shepard!" Kaidan yelled out from the decontamination chamber._

 _"Looks like you have to go." Garrus said, lifting one of his bags slightly. He smiled, but it was a mask. Shepard nodded, watching as they motioned for her to get back on board. Her mother always told her to not to anything she'd regret, and it made her cautious often. Smart, controlled, but right now she wasn't going to let what had become her greatest friendship leave on just a simple wave and a goodbye. She didn't know how Turians felt about physical contact, but she didn't care. She rushed him, wrapping her arms around his wide chest. She felt him gasp in surprise, but a gentle rumble flowed down his chest as he dropped his bags and wrapped his arms around her. They broke apart, and he was glowing, and if what she thought she could hear was true, he was practically purring with delight._

 _"Goodbye, Alison Shepard. Safe travels. I'll be seeing you very soon." He said, before she ran back to the Normandy. She smiled at his words. He didn't ask, he knew. He would never have to._

Now, as he stood before her, maybe she didn't have to ask either. She stepped to him, watching as his eyes narrowed in anticipation before she wrapped her arms around him again. He returned the favor, just as he did then. He rubbed her back, and inhaled her. She was real, this was real, and he wasn't going to let her die on him again. That was for certain. They broke apart, and he gave her a little nod.

"I'm glad to see that you're still you, just with some extra bits and pieces." Garrus said.

"You too-Cerberus rebuilt us both now, it seems."

"I only had to take a rocket to the face." Garrus said.

"I died, Garrus." Shepard retorted. He cracked a, mind you painful, grin before walking away.

"Point taken. You always have to one-up me, Shepard." Garrus said. "Where should I put my stuff?"

"Wherever you want, Garrus. You don't have to stay the shuttle bay anymore. The ships a whole lot larger." Shepard said. "Although, I think we need a main weapon's tech still."

"Well, I'm fit for duty whenever you need me, Shepard. I'll settle in and see what I can do at the forward batteries."

"Sounds like a plan, Vakarian." Shepard said.

He nodded, adding a little bow before turning before walking out the door. The man from before was working in the armory as he passed through, and the rest of the crew worked diligently at their stations as Garrus found his way back down to the guns, closing the door behind him with a little hiss. Within a few minutes a crew member came with a little bunk and some other small supplies, and he thanked them before they curtly saluted and left. The soft, dull hum of the vents and the small electric buzz of the interface was all he could hear, the sweet scent of ozone infiltrating his nostrils. It was quiet for once.

Garrus could finally think. That was the last thing he wanted to do.

And so, Garrus Vakarian sat down on the cot, and tried to fight back exhaustion and tears as the events of the past few days rushed to meet him. But, just like before Shepard arrived, it was a losing battle and soon he fell into deep sleep, twelve names and faces echoing through his head. Dreams took grasp, nightmares of all the mistakes he had made.

* * *

An Early Christmas, I guess. Thank you, once again, for reading! Please, post a review, tell me what you think, suggestions, tips, etc. Have a happy holidays, and I'll see you again soon!


	3. Monuments of Blood, Bodies, and Bullets

Something was wrong. He knew right away. It was quiet and the smell of burnt steel and slugs hung in the air. No one had responded over the comms, but that at first wasn't to be unexpected. But as he approached, as he saw the pillar of smoke rise from the crashed X3M, and the smell of blood and fear reached his nose, he sprinted inside.

 _No, no, no._ It couldn't be. He couldn't let this happen. Not another team. Not another failed mission. Yet as he stepped inside, the bodies thrown around, he couldn't fight it anymore. On the opposite side of the room, leaning against the wall was Melenis, head bowed, clutching her sides. Her vitals were still there, barely. He ran to her, grabbing a hold of her.

"Melenis! Hold on." He readied the medi-gel, watching as her wound started to heal. She grunted, her mandibles flaring as she turned to him.

"Garrus…" she whispered, falling to him. He caught her, carried her to the couch, laying her down. She coughed as he ran upstairs. His eyes traced over the rest as he ran by them. Sensat, Grundan, Ripper, Sidonis,Vortash, Erash, Monteague, Butler, Weaver. _Not Sidonis. Where is he? Maybe he's still alive. Maybe he doubled back._

The others tried to fortify their position. Sensat blew himself up over there, taking a few mercs with him. Salarian bastard, he didn't deserve that. Ripper was brought down by goddamn varren, beside the door, his armor spattered with blood. Erash, shot through the chest, over the body of Vortash, similarly slain. Grundan, the batarian, was keeled over, a hole cut clean between his four eyes. He would have respected the shooter, if not for the situation. In the back of the room, Butler lay, riddled with bleeding wounds.

Garrus skidded to a halt as his visor gave him life signs. He rushed over, tossing the slain mercs aside as he pulled out the old human. Butler was his name. His dark skin covered in blood and bruises, eyes closed. Garrus took him into his arms, he felt the blood start to cover his armor in warm rivulets, painting him.

He took him downstairs, laid him across from Melenis. If only Shepard was here. She could turn this around. This was a suicide mission, and it was to be the death of him. What would he do if she was here? Butler's wounds were far worse than Melenis. She at least might survive, but Butler...all his medi-gel would go to waste. He knew better than to try and save a situation that was already lost. He learned that when he left C-SEC. He learned that when he left the Military. He learned that when he Shepard died. He'd learn it again here. He got her cool towels, patted her head as the fever set in.

Butler stirred, groaning as he came to. Garrus clambered to him, clutching his hand, turning away from Melenis as he approached him. Butler smiled as he caught the Turian's gaze.

"We...we were caught off guard." Butler whispered, in between coughs. His voice was clogged with blood and pain. "I...I'm sorry."

"No, Butler, I'm sorry." Garrus said, taking hold of his hand. The human was shaking. He didn't have long. "I'll get the bastards that did this."

"Tell Nalah I-" He coughed, his words cut into a harsh gargle.

"Of course." Garrus said, shaking his head "Of course. I'll tell her."

"I'm glad to have served alongside you, Arch…" his throat constricted on blood and phlegm. "Archangel."

Butler's heartbeat slowed. His eyes became vacant. He looked out, as if across the fields of his homeworld one last time before the blood spilled out from his mouth and his eyes went wide and settled in on the nothingness around him. Garrus shook him, breathlessly wording his name, but it was too late. He closed his eyes, and looked back to the only other survivor. Melenis twisted fitfully in her sleep. Garrus let his hand slide across her face. She was so beautiful, and now she was all he had left. He leaned down, pressing his forehead against hers. He would protect her…that was the least he could do.

He set up and shored up their defenses. He knew they'd come again. They knew he was here. He took stock of their supplies. He threw the merc bodies out of the window, alongside any levo food. The empty crates they were once stored in became his defense. Sensat's explosives lined the far side of the bridge, and underneath the bunker. His team was lined up in rows downstairs. Covered in yellow tarp that would serve as their only form of modesty. The blood on and in his armor and plates washed out quickly. Charges were placed in structural weak points throughout the building, ready to blow at the flip of a switch. He readied his rifle on the perch overlooking the walkway. He had fashioned motion detectors fashioned from the old holo-television, now placed to guard over his blind spots. He sealed the doors using Vortash's tools. It was easy. It was like he'd done this a thousand times before.

And now, it was all done. It had taken a few hours, but it kept him distracted. Kept him busy. He couldn't think about how he failed them. Melenis' wounds were recovering, but she still lay still, now breathing quietly, her mandibles fluttering. What would she say when she awoke? What would they all say?

He flinched. They wouldn't say anything. They were dead. They were dead and they had no more thoughts, no more ideas, and he'd seen what was left of them and laid them to rest as best he could. They were gone. Garrus Vakarian, Archangel, had let too many innocents down. If he had just let go, not tried to get ahead. If he just made the best of the situation he had instead of trying to make a new one. It wasn't worth it getting lost in _what-ifs_. Shepard told him that.

What had happened? He had counted the bodies. Sidonis was missing. The turian, his friend, his co-conspirator, the man he had started this all with. He was missing, and where had he gone? Garrus' mandibles fluttered darkly. Sidonis; He had taken him away. He... the bastard. That motherfucker. What had he _done_?! He brought up some old contacts. Names and people he'd know, that got him here, gave him the tech he needed, found him this spot. One said they saw one Lantar Sidonis leave Omega six hours ago. He was spotted at a credit union, pulling the last of his funds. Liquidating his assets. He made sure to not leave a trail. His ship had jumped to Havor Station, but from there, no one knows. Sidonis was gone, left this mess in Garrus' hands to clean up.

Garrus's teeth strained from the pressure they were put under, squeaking, _cracking_ together as he gnawed the air. His talons dug into his gloves, breaching the fabric and touching the armor. He felt the hate rise in him. This wasn't like Saren, no, this was personal. Nine bodies lay on the floor because of him. Nine of his SQUAD. Nine of his FRIENDS. He swore an OATH to them, and Garrus trusted him. He trusted him the most because Sidonis was like him. He was the first to join. He was a turian, going out to set the galaxy straight. He _trusted_ him. He TRUSTED him. How could he...

He stopped his thoughts. He had to do something else. Rage was both a drug and a paralytic. He could waste away fantasizing about breaking his head in against the ground, blowing him to pieces, but it wouldn't do anything. There were nine bodies; and they had family, friends too. They deserved to know. It was the least he could do.

He brought up his omni-tool. He whispered, "Pertacio Protocol."

The turian never imagined the day it would come to this, even if he had planned. Even if he was ready. A little message popped up: _Confirm._

"Access Code: Alison."

Names and extranet addresses came up. Next-of-kin. His father always told him about the commander's duty to relay the death of their subservients to their families. It was something he never imagined having to do. But the words flowed from his mouth without thought. This was not the time for second-guessing.

" _To whomever it may concern."_

" _I have no words for what I must say. I have no way to ease the pain that I am about to cause, and for that, I will never atone. I am sorry. Take this apology, this notification for what it is. I was charged to take care of your family, of your friends and loved ones, and I failed you."_

" _But never did they fail me. They stood and fought to the end, to the very last man and died with all the honor and respect that they earned in their life. They never gave up, and they passed on knowing that they had brought some light to this dark and dreadful corner of the galaxy. If ever they seeked forgiveness, they have earned it tenfold. "_

" _I am sorry for your loss. The galaxy is lesser without them, emptier. Enclosed with this data is the credits to which each of them are owed, which I hope can provide some comfort in this dark time. I do not know if their bodies can ever be retrieved, but I have laid them to rest the best I could, besides the bodies of their brothers and sisters in arms. They loved you, with all of their hearts and never did their thoughts stray from you. I hope that can give you some peace."_

" _With my sincerest apology, and greatest regret"_

" _Archangel."_

He stopped. One line was selected. They deserved to know and curse his name.

" _Garrus Vakarian."_

And it was sent.

He pulled up the tool one more time. In the address line he wrote one name.

" _Things are going a bit sideways here. - G "_

It took her a few minutes, but she responded, " _You okay? - S"_

" _No. I'm lost and I don't think I'm going to be found, Solana. Pass my love onto to our parents. Tell them I tried. - G "_

" _Come home, Garrus. We love you. Get out of there alive. -S"_

" _I can't make any promises. -G"_

" _Please? -S"_

He couldn't tear his eyes away from the words. He could feel her head on his shoulder again.

" _Just one more time? -S"_

He paused, looking at the message that lingered on the screen. She was still online, still watching, waiting for a response.

" _Just one more miracle? -S"_

He sighed, the words already crossing his lips.

" _Promise. -G"_

Melenis had awoken, watching as the last of the letter was drafted. He put the omnitool away, and they shared a silent moment together. She looked around the apartment, and winced when her eyes brushed across the rest of their bodies. She coughed, sitting up, across from the chair he had pulled next to the couch she lay on.

"What now?" Melenis said.

Garrus turned from her _. I don't know. I failed you._

"Garrus?" Melenis said, her fingers touching his mandibles, pulling her towards him. He nuzzled into her palm, eyes closed, browplates clenched together.

"They're coming for us." Garrus said, "I don't...I don't know how long we'll be able to hold out."

"Well, we'll just have to give them hell. Just for everyone else." Melenis said, as she leaned in, touching her head to his. He sighed, all of the pain washing away for a brief moment. "We'll make it through this."

He watched the bridge as she set up surveillance around their base. She linked it to his helmet, and then finalized the charges downstairs. She came back into the room, and sat down beside him. She said nothing for a few minutes before her hand grasped his cowl. He turned to her and she again pressed her head against his.

When he awoke, the bullets were firing and the explosions began to rock the foundations. They held off. She was new, and now she was everything and she pulled her own. 30 down on her counter, and he had gained 40. He complimented her on her form.

"I just wish it meant something." She said, "Seeing as we're likely to die."

"Spirits preserve us, we'll make them weep blue yet." Garrus said.

"'Fade too', said the soldiers of the 188th, 'Rush and never let'" Melenis said over her shoulder.

"Didn't realize you knew poetry, Melenis." Garrus said.

"Could say the same of you, sir." Melenis said. He scoffed.

"I get around."

"It was one of my favorite things before I left the military. I was station-"

Garrus was covered in blue. More than usual. He blinked, refreshing the images that flashed through his mind, his hand moving to touch the liquid on his face. It was warm and sap-like as it fell across his helmet. Melenis' body slumped over. Garrus couldn't keep the scream of rage contained as his throat ripped apart. He fired quickly now, dodging cover to cover, every shot hitting them. Down they went. Down they went, bidden to hell. Down they went, their stories cut off too. Down they went, mid sentence, mid life. He didn't know much about angels, but if he were one, it was not of mercy. It was of bullets and hellfire.

And when the batarian sniper that took her out lay in a pool of blood, his body barely in sight, he fired into it again and again. Round after round he spent until the trigger clicked and he was no more. His couldn't' see, he could barely breath. He collapsed onto his knees as they set up the barricades on the far side. He cradled her cold corpse, begging that it be him, and not her before the rage faded away.

He shored up their defenses. He knew they'd come again. They knew he was here. He took stock of their supplies. He threw the merc bodies out of the window, alongside any levo food. The empty crates they were once stored in became his defense. Sensat's explosives had done their work on the far side the bridge, and underneath the bunker. His team was lined up in rows downstairs, and now in the corner behind him. Covered in yellow tarp that would serve as their only form of modesty. The blood on and in his armor and plates washed out quickly. Charges were placed in structural weak points throughout the building, ready to blow at the flip of a switch. He readied his rifle on the perch overlooking the walkway. He had fashioned motion detectors fashioned from the old holo-television, now placed to guard over his blind spots. It was easy. It was like he'd done this a thousand times before.

And now, The Archangel of Death was in for the long haul. If it wasn't for his visor, he'd have lost count a long time ago. Every shot was sweet vengeance, and every time his muscles ached, or his head split with the pain of dehydration and exhaustion he shook it off, and stabbed himself with the needle to feel a little more, get that little edge he needed. His crew deserved the best he could give monument would be built out of blood, bodies and bullets.


	4. Discussions, and Visors

He awoke when the calm voice of EDI called to him. "Officer Vakarian, Commander Shepard is on her way to your quarters."

"Thank you, EDI." Garrus said, sitting up. He groaned, as his muscles struggled to support him.

"Dr. Chakwas also requests that you see her at your convenience." EDI said. Garrus grunted in response and the blue orb by the door faded. He rubbed his head as he began to take a look at the controls in front of him. He saw a few errors, but everytime he tried to type, the gnawing pain in his chest stopped him. He was actually glad when the doors behind him opened up, hissing.

"Shepard. Need me for something?" Garrus said as he turned.

"Got a minute?" Shepard asked. Garrus shrugged.

"Sure. I was just checking the weapon's system. You can never be too careful." He watched as she strolled across the room to the railing beside the main station. "I thought I had seen every weapon in the galaxy in our fight against Saren. Mercenary work showed me otherwise. And now Cerberus rebuilds the Normandy with a few upgrades to boot."

"Speak of, have they given you any trouble?"

"Who, the crew?" Garrus said. "No, no. I think working with you to take down Saren made them respect me a bit more."

He lifted the right side of his jaw, an inflection which Shepard took as unbearably cocky. "You know they made a few vids about that already, right?"

"I hadn't heard." Shepard said. "They any good?"

"Only saw one. They got my voice all wrong." Garrus said, shaking his head regretfully. "Can't recommend."

"Right, cause if they get your voice wrong they'll never get the correct story."

"Nevermind the fact that they gloss over the Reapers. I knew you'd understand, Commander." Garrus said. "I was the most important part of the whole ordeal."

"Right." Shepard said. "And we beat Sovereign with the power of friendship."

"How did you know?"

"Lucky guess."

"Ha." Garrus said, "As if Commander Shepard was ever lucky."

"Don't push it with your back talk, Garrus. I'll kick you seven ways to Sunday."

"What?"

"Nevermind." Shepard said. They say not a word for a moment or two.

Garrus shook his head. "I guess you didn't just come down here to exchange witty remarks and talk about our collective fame and glory."

"You're right." Shepard said, standing straight as well. "I wanted to talk to you about what happened down on Omega."

"Straight to the point." Garrus nodded, turning to the workstation for a moment. He touched a few buttons and corrected a small error. He looked back up at the commander. Her eyes were piercing.

"What do you want to know?"

"How did you wind up on Omega in the first place?"

"Damn you're just going to jump right in, aren't you?" Garrus said.

Shepard gave him a look that said, _I'm Commander Shepard, what did you expect?_

"You remember I went back to C-SEC, right?" Garrus said, "Well, after the Normandy was destroyed it all fell apart for me. There was too much red-tape, and too much injustice being let free. So I followed a shipment of Red Sand to Omega."

"What happened then?"

"Omega was filled with criminals nobody else could touch and there was no red tape to slow me down. It was a perfect fit. People needed someone to believe in, someone to stand up the local thugs." Garrus said. He punctuated his words with bravado, grand sweeping gestures and movements. He turned away from her, as if an actor, performing before the invisible audience to their side. "I had set foot on the station for less than fifteen minutes and I saved an old human couple from some thugs. They called me their angel. It felt...right. I knew I had found where I was needed."

"Alright, how'd you end up with a squad?" Shepard asked, leaning back onto the railing.

"Not too different from how you formed your squad to fight Saren, actually. You prove that you get things done and people join up." Garrus said, "Mercs who wanted to atone. Security consultants tired of playing by the rules. _I_ gave them hope." He pounded his chest once, his hand staying there, talons clinging to his armor before it fell to his side once more. He looked down at the floor as the memories of ten yellow body bags resurfaced into his mind, before lifting his gaze with a shrug."And now they're dead. Shows what I know."

She let that linger in the air, as Garrus began to tap away at the console again. Shepard licked her teeth, fiddling with her hands. She reached up as if to grab him, but pulled back. Instead she moved beside him, looking up at his face as he continued to type away.

"What were they like?" Shepard asked, in a soft tone. Garrus continued to type away.

"There were twelve of us, including me. Former military operatives, C-Sec agents, the usual. Had a salarian explosives expert. Pretty sure he'd spent time in the Special Tasks Group." Garrus said. He chuckled under his breath, tearing himself away from his work."My tech expert was a batarian, believe it or not. Not the friendliest guy, but he could hack any system ever built."

"What were you all doing down there?" Shepard asked.

"You saw Omega. It was full of thugs kicking the helpless. I formed my team to kick back. Every member of my team had lost someone to Omega's gangs. We were out to make those bastards think twice before murdering someone in the street. " Garrus said, "We weren't mercenaries. At least, no one was paying us. We made due by taking down slavers, pirates, or gangs that went too far."

"They must have hated you."

"I got three separate merc bands to work together to take me down." Garrus said. He flashed a smile. "My manager at C-Sec would be impressed."

"Hell, Garrus, I'm impressed. How'd you do it?"

"It was simple. We'd hit their shipments, disrupt activities. Get under their skin. Make them angry." Garrus said. He puffed out his chest as he said, "They'd come charging right into our well prepared kill zone. Crossfire and snipers, clean and surgical. They never stood a chance."

"How many did you all kill?" Shepard asked.

"More than three thousand in about six months." Garrus said.

"Holy shit, Vakarian. I knew you were good, but damn." Shepard said, "It sounds like you guys were winning. How'd they get to you?"

Garrus shook his head, gnawing on his tongue as he turned away, the cloud of venom and rage rising in his blood. "It was my own damn fault. One of my people betrayed me." He said, as he stomped down the hall, practically twitching. "A turian named _Sidonis_. He asked for my help on a job. When I got to the meeting point, nobody was there. By the time I got back to our hideout, the mercs had killed all but two of my squad."

He stopped, back still to Shepard as she followed him out. She could see him look down for a moment before he spoke. "They didn't last long….Everyone except me is dead because of him. And because I didn't see it coming."

"Are you sure it's a betrayal? Maybe they took Sidonis out first."

"No." Shepard was taken aback by the poison in his words, the deep rumble of thunder that echoed in his chest, reverberated through the hall. He paced over to the wall."I put out some feelers with some old contacts. He booked transport off Omega just before the attack. The bastard also cleared out his private accounts before he left. He sold us out and _ran_!" Garrus said, slamming his fist into the wall. Shepard saw some crewmembers get startled behind him, clutching their plates, eyes wide, staring at the turian. The turian's head bowed, as he ground his teeth together.

"I lost him after that. But I'll hunt him down." Garrus said. He pulled himself back up, standing tall and straight, not an inch of emotion, except for the quiet tremors of latent rage. "I lost my whole team except for Sidonis. One day I'll find him...and correct _that_." He finished his sentence with a confident nod. Shepard took a step back, and Garrus looked back down at the floor.

"Sorry about that. Thank you for stopping by, Shepard. I...I've got some things to take care of." Garrus said, before walking by her. She watched him take his place at the console once more. The door didn't close and he just kept working, typing away. He was pressing the keys so hard that his fingers tapped on the metal below the haptic interface.

"Garrus?" Shepard said, walking up behind him. He barely recognized it, just looking over his shoulder as he continued. "I'm really sorry. I wish I came a day or two earlier."

He sighed, stopping his work. "I do too, Shepard." He said, turning to her with a blank stare and a little nod. "I do too."

"Don't blame yourself for this. You did nothing wrong." Shepard said.

"Did I?" Garrus said, "I thought I was better than this. _I_ was lined up to be a Spectre. _I_ was in a squad with the great Commander Shepard and look what happened when _I_ tried to follow her example."

Shepard took a step back, her gaze suddenly shot downward.

"Shepard, I-" Garrus said, taking a step forward, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't-"

"No, it's alright, Garrus." Shepard said, as she rubbed her arm, looking off to the side, "If I hadn't have died two years ago you'd never have been in this position. If I had just woken up a few days earlier, then all of this would have been averted. If I went after you instead of after Mordin, if-"

Garrus reached out a hand and grabbed her shoulder. "Maybe...maybe not. But you and I both know it's not healthy to get caught up in ' _what-ifs_ '. I'm just glad you're back and alive."

Shepard's smile finally returned, but her face was turned down. He thought he should fix that, bringing his talon up to raise her chin. It was a bit warm in here now, he realized, and Garrus removed himself from her bubble of personal space. He repositioned his weight, leaning back and crossing his arms.

"You're right." Shepard said, "Even if that is my line."

The turian smirked. "Not to change the topic, but if I remember correctly, you said you'd tell me your story too."

"Kinda hoping you'd forget that, Garrus." Shepard said.

"Well, I haven't." Garrus said, "What happened to you? Last I heard you were dead"

"I got spaced." Shepard said, "Cerberus found me, and put me back together."

"That's...fascinating." Garrus said, looking to the side and twiddling his fingers together. "Not sure how to respond to that. You actually died?"

"Yeah." Shepard said, "Trust me, if I was alive, you would have been the first to know."

"Not Kaiden?" Garrus said. He regretted it as she winced. "Sorry."

"I...it's not a problem. But yeah." Shepard said, "I guess so. Seems so. He's not here, is he?"

 _Guess not._ Garrus thought, pausing for a moment. "So, what was it like?" he said.

"What?"

"Being dead." Garrus said.

"Don't remember much of it."

"Oh. That's...disappointing." Garrus said. "Thought you'd know if God was real, what heaven was like, write some books, collect the credits that pour in and retire somewhere nice."

Shepard leaned back and laughed. "I wish. I just actually don't really have a lot of memory of being dead. At one moment I was gasping for air, freezing to death and boiling all at the same time, and next thing I know I'm waking up on an operating table god-knows-where." Shepard said. "Hell of a time."

"Sounds like. What happened then?"

"Well, I wake up to the sound of explosions and gunfire. Miranda is yelling at me to get up and I have to fight my way across a mech filled space station, and I have no idea what's going on until they whisk me to another station where I meet the Illusive Man." Shepard said, "Then, he tells me I've been dead for two years and that human colonies are being abducted. They've rebuilt the Normandy and they want me to build a squad and stop them from killing all the humans. "

"So your average day?"

"Yeah, just about." Shepard said with a chuckle. "That was about five days ago."

"You've been alive for five days?" Garrus said, mandibles spread wide in shock.

"Well, conscious. I've been alive for about three, four months as far as I've been told. In a coma for the most of it." Shepard said.

"Does your mother know?" Garrus said.

Shepard looked down, wringing her hands. "No, and I've been told that it's not a good idea to contact the Alliance right now. They'd probably bring me in for questioning, no matter what."

"Makes sense. Last thing you need is all that political bullshit and red tape stopping you from getting the real work done." Garrus said, as he offered a stiff pat on her shoulder.

"But, Councilor Anderson did contact me. Says he wants to see me on the Citadel when I have the chance." Shepard said.

"That'll be fun." Garrus said. "Have...have you told Alenko?"

Shepard froze, looking up at Garrus. "No...I haven't." She said, rubbing her hands together, "I-Have you heard from him? Or anything about him?"

"Not in a long time, no." Garrus said. "You?"

Shepard sighed, rubbing her face as she walked back to the railing and leaned over it. "The Illusive Man told me about some of the old squad. Wrex is on Tuchanka, and Liara is on Illium. Kaiden's files are classified."

"How about Tali?"

"I actually saw her." Shepard said. "Three days ago we went to a little colony called Freedom's Progress. Like the others, everyone was abducted, but there's something different. A Quarian survived; he was on his Pilgrimage. Tali and her team were there to extract him."

"How is she?"

"She's good. She said she'd be willing to join us, but she has some work to do. She just had to get her people back to the Migrant Fleet. We'll pick her up when she sends the signal."

"At least there'll be a few old faces then. Or, suit masks, I guess." Garrus said, before joining her at the railing. "How'd she react to you being alive?"

"She was surprised, but we had bigger things to worry about." Shepard said, "She wasn't a big fan of the fact that I was with Cerberus, but was glad to see me. She said she was glad that I was still in control."

She was biting her lip. Garrus raised a browplate and said, "What's on your mind, Shepard?"

"I just…" Shepard sighed, "I want my old crew, my old friends back. I know they'd come back if I asked. Especially Kaidan. What was the last you'd heard of everyone else?"

"I haven't kept up a lot of contact with the old squad, Shepard." Garrus said. Shepard's face fell, and he tried to regain his footing. "After you died, we sort of fell apart."

"I guess that makes sense."

"Tali was on the Migrant Fleet, and Wrex dropped off the radar. Liara seemed the most okay, but she went off into the Terminus Systems." Garrus said, "And Kaiden? Last I heard he was still with the Alliance. He took it hard, Commander. We all did. But he was a soldier, and kept going."

He shifted his weight. "I saw him once about eight, nine months ago. told him I was going to Omega, and he said that it was a death wish."

"He didn't follow you?" Shepard said, "Or even try to stop you?"

"I think he might have come if he knew it was a suicide mission." Garrus said, with a shrug, "I..I've seen a lot of broken people in my time, Shepard. I know when to, what's the phrase? Let sleeping dogs lie? I left him in the seedy bar that I'd found him."

Alison stood up straight again, shaking her head. "I tried to ping him at his old address, but I haven't heard anything back."

"The Illusive Man did say what he was doing was classified, right?" Garrus said, "He might be in deep cover-if so, then there's no telling when he might be reachable."

Shepard sighed, running a hand through her hair."I miss him. I miss everyone."

"I know." Garrus said, "I miss them too."

"At least I have you, Garrus." Shepard said, "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"I know I'd go crazy and try fighting an entire space station by myself." Garrus said.

Shepard smiled, "Seems we never get a day to rest, do we?" Shepard said.

"No." Garrus said, "Besides, it's better this way. Have you ever seen a fat turian? Not a pretty sight."

Shepard smiled, and started to walk for the door. "I guess I'll just have to run you often. I have some other things I have to do, sadly. But, we have a lot of catching up to do, Mr. Vakarian."

"Yes, we do." Garrus said, "You know where to find me, Shepard."

She hummed in affirmation as the doors slid close. He turned back to his work. Shepard, like always, was a nice distraction. The pain was still there but right now it was hidden beneath the small joy he got from being near Shepard. He was very glad that she was alive.

They were forced to stay on Omega for another few hours. Shepard had noted that they had to install some new parts on to the ship and then test them. Not that Garrus minded-Omega was comfortable, in a weird, gross, and terrible way. He liked and hated the dirty air, the contagious smell of refuse, pollution and poor hygiene. It had been home for almost a year. Well, not exactly home. It was somewhere he had inhabited, but definitely not home. But, the turian liked the poor people here. They were kind, washed up sorts of souls that drifted here by fate, not by choice. Just like him.

Shepard had decided to go ashore, and brought him with her, alongside Zaeed. Garrus could smell the alcohol and moral ambiguity waft of the man like sweat. He'd briefly read his files, and was impressed with his records. He was the real deal, a real glorified badass that had seen more than his fair share of combat, judging by the scars that marred half of his face. Reconstructed, of course, but it was still evident. It reminded him of the scars his father had.

Scars that he too had, which burned themselves into existence once more when a twinge of pain shocked the side of his face as he smiled at the Commander as she disembarked from the ship. He couldn't help but remember the original _Normandy_ and its VI. _The Commanding Officer is ashore. XO Pressley has the deck._ Except, now it'd be XO Lawson, wouldn't it?

That would take some time getting used to. It was so common. It was like losing a random color. He realized that scars were just part of the job, physical and mental. He pushed the thoughts aside as Shepard nodded at him, and he began to follow.

They walked through the streets, before winding up in the trade district. Garrus watched carefully as the stream of Batarians, Humans, and Vorcha all milled about. They approached a little shop, the words _HARROT'S EMPORIUM_ emblazed in massive angry orange letters above the door. He knew of the place, during his days as Archangel he'd seen a few shipments directed for him, and his low prices had to be linked to either the black market or an extortion ring. He would have had a civil discussion with him at some point, but it was very low on the list of things to make better here in Omega. One despotic merchant was nothing compared to child slavery rings. He was knocked out of his reverie when Shepard spoke.

"See anything good?" Shepard asked, browsing the kiosk. Garrus diverted his attention on to it, peering through the random salvage and tech that was far beneath usable, even if he was on a budget. Low rate firearms, weapon mods that were more likely to kill you then help you and-

 _By the Spirits_. A Kuwashi Visor. For 2000 credits? And for Humans?

"Um" he coughed, "That Visor looks good."

Shepard pressed a button and it was displayed before her in all of its pristine, clean and tactically advantageous glory. He saw a smile tug at the side of her lips as she looked over her shoulder at him, specifically at the piece of equipment over his left eye.

"Oh really? What makes you think that?"

Garrus shifted his weight. "Just take a look yourself, Shepard. Target tracing, wind and gravity compensation algorithms, and it has biofeedback at a range of 10 meters. Thermal, LADAR, sonar; It's a must have for a sniper."

"You know, Zaeed, Garrus and I worked together back in the day to take down Sovereign." Shepard said, turning to him. Garrus' eyebrow plates narrowed down in mock anger.

"Got any good stories?" Zaeed asked. Garrus narrowed his eyes. Bastard knew to play the part.

"One. Garrus plays – I mean, _played_ –" She put a great deal of emphasis on the word. "-music through his visor back then. And-"

"Shepard." Garrus said.

"-And, he would always do better with it. It was fine, until he played it through the open comms."

"Heh." Zaeed chuckled, looking up at the Turian.

"Shepard is this really-"

"You know annoying it is to kill Geth with the Turian Imperial Anthem playing in your ear on repeat?" Shepard said. "Had to spend at least six or seven minutes fighting before we had a break enough for me to tell him to shut it off. He swore he'd not do it again."

"Die for the Cause is a very _respectable_ and-"

"On that note, how long have you been wearing that visor for?" Shepard said, "I don't think I've ever seen you take it off."

Garrus dug his foot into the ground, feeling the blood rise to his face and neck. He was very, very glad that his face paint was blue too, because he was certain that the ability for Turians to blush was still a secret to Commander Shepard. He did not want to be the one who let that slip. He was looking to the side when he felt a small jab at this arm. He looked to see Shepard at his side with a toothy grin. He shook his head. "You asked for my opinion. But if we're done here, I think I'll go wait outside." He turned and left, thumbing the controls for his visor, turning on some music to blast out all his thoughts.

"He's like a goddamn kicked puppy around you." Zaeed said.

"It's adorable, isn't it?" Shepard said, as she looked back at the kiosk.

"Sickening more like. Those upgrades shouldn't take too much longer. Let's get the hell off this rock, Shepard." Zaeed said as he followed Garrus outside. They stood side by side in silence, watching the people mill about.

They did not speak. The silence was enough for both of them. Trained killers, side by side.

"It's a really good visor for a sniper." Garrus coughed, loud enough for Zaeed to hear it, but low enough for no one else.

Zaeed didn't move a single muscle, just staring straight ahead before Shepard stepped out from the shop and in between them. Garrus turned to her, only to see her arranging the visor on her head. She looked up at him and smiled. It grew even larger as he realized she was reading his biometrics. His mandibles shuddered, and one of her eyebrows cocked up in an interesting, if not almost flirtatious manner.

He coughed, looking away. Shepard laughed. Maybe it wasn't a good idea suggesting that for her after all.

"I didn't know Turians could blush, Mr. Vakarian." Shepard said, as if it were a simple observation, before finally walking past him without another word. Zaeed tried, and failed, to hold a laugh.

 _Spirits, kill me_ , he thought as they walked back towards the ship. How did he ever get pulled into all of this mess?

* * *

Just never gonna stop writing. Well, as long as I'm free from responsibilities. Hope you had a great holiday season, and I'll see you soon. As always, please review, favorite, etc, anything. Always looking for criticisms and advice. Have a good one!


	5. Disappointment (Mass Effect 1)

"Someone just put out a massive hit on a quarian refugee that's somewhere on the Citadel." Vera whispered. She was a young woman who worked the bar in the seedy underbelly of the Citadel on a whim, bored with her life of pleasantries and luxuries. Now, she was an informant, working the hard and dirty work so that there could be some semblance of peace in the galaxy. Garrus liked her. "Two million credits on her head dead, four million alive." she said.

"That's-" Garrus shook his head, "Do you have a description?"

"Not really. She's just some girl on her pilgrimage. Probably no older than 16, 17 years of age." Vera said, quickly looking around in whatever bar she was in. Garrus couldn't tell through the omnitool screen.

"Who wants her? Why?" Garrus asked.

"No clue yet. Just overheard some mercs talking about it." Vera said, "I guess she has some information that someone wants. I'll try to get you some more details, but I gotta go. My boss is already giving me strange looks."

"Take care, Vera. Stay safe out there." Garrus said.

"Will do." Vera said, and the line disconnected. Garrus sat back in his chair. Who would want a young quarian and was willing to spend millions of credits for her? This entire case had been hell, ever since it came to his desk in the wee hours of the citadel morning.

A big debacle, a human colony on the edge of the traverse attacked by Geth. The Systems Alliance was blaming Saren, a Turian Spectre agent. Garrus was assigned this investigation, because it was a shit job and he was on the shit list with half of the department. At least, that's how he saw it. No other reason why lowly detective Vakarian, with no actual credentials to speak of, would be doing this dredgery.

He ran through the files again, at the same time he ran his fingers through his fringe. He was compiling their case, but everything rubbed him wrong. The reports from the humans were excellent, logical, consistent; the links were there. Someone, or something attacked them that wasn't just the Geth. Nihilus Kyrik's body proved that. The fact that Geth would have no real interest in an agricultural colony was another. It all pointed to a trail, a trail that led upwards, to the Spectres.

He needed to access their files. Garrus had tried to pull them up on his computer. Classified. Message and message, petition and warrant, and yet. Everytime...

 _"Denied._ " - Executor Venari Pallin, Head of Citadel Security.

 _Dammit._ Garrus thought, leaning back. _The connections are there, Garrus, you simply have to see them._ He quieted his father's voice in his head. There was something gnawing, biting at his brainstem, nibbling on the edges of his fringe.

Nihlus Kryik was killed by a single shot to the back of the head. The circumference of the wound suggested a smaller caliber bullet and the trauma and minor burns suggested point blank range. It was almost a direct shot across the cranium, exiting out at a small degree upward and the slug itself was not recovered.

But why would a Spectre ever turn their back, why would they ever let a Geth get that close to them? If it was the humans, how could they have reached his head?

 _The bullet had to have been shot from an almost level angle, unless he was kneeling down. But then the blood splatter at the scene would be on the ground in a more concentrated area instead of spread out. So, Kyrik was standing when he died, especially given his final position._

The three humans involved with the incident were shorter than the average turian. Most geth were too, except the really big ones, but those towered over the average Turian. Saren's height however...that was classified. But, from his own height, it wouldn't be hard to imagine it. He shook his head, his thoughts milling. Something was wrong. Say the humans weren't lying, say Saren was there. Why would he be?

Garrus clenched his fists. He knew that without further information, there was nothing to definitively link Saren to either case. But he knew, he knew but he couldn't see it and more importantly he couldn't prove it. All he had was his gut, screaming at him, yowling like an injured animal. Saren's a traitor, and every time he looked at his picture, Garrus' blood boiled with indignant hate. He was a disgrace to the council.

His omni-tool beeped.

 _"Hello!"_ -Dr. Chloe Michel

 _"Hello, Dr. Michel. How can I help you?"_ \- Garrus Vakarian.

 _"You don't have to be so formal, Garrus. What are you doing?_ " - Dr. Chloe Michel.

 _"Sorry, Doctor. You normally don't message me. I'm taking a break from a case right now. You?"_ -Garrus Vakarian.

 _"I'm in my clinic right now. What's the case about?"_ \- Dr. Chloe Michel

 _"It's classified, sadly._ " - Garrus Vakarian.

 _"Alrighty. Keep your secrets. I just wanted to inform you of something I heard."_ -Dr. Chloe Michel

 _"Oh?"_ -Garrus Vakarian

 _"A quarian stumbled in here not too long ago. She said she had some incriminating information about a Spectre. Sounded like something you might want to look into._ " - Dr. Chloe Michel.

Garrus stared at the message, before madly typing.

 _"I'll be there soon."_ \- Garrus Vakarian.

Garrus was about to head down into the wards when another message reached his Omni-Tool.

 _"This case is going to trial soon. Have you found anything to substantiate the Alliance's claims?_ " -Executor Venari Pallin, Head of Citadel Security.

Garrus paused, biting his tongue. Already?

" _No. Not yet. Some leads, but nothing definitive._ " -Detective Garrus Vakarian, C-Sec Investigations Department

 _"Send me your findings."_ -Executor Venari Pallin, Head of Citadel Security.

 _"FILE ATTACHED: Notes on: SYSTEMS ALLIANCE vs. SAREN ARTERIUS"_ -Detective Garrus Vakarian, C-Sec Investigations Department

Garrus waited another minute, once again searching for connections.

" _Your notes are concerning. Do you really think Saren, a Spectre, would be involved? It seems to me you are trying to find connections where there are none. Bring your work up to the Citadel Tower."_ -Executor Venari Pallin, Head of Citadel Security.

 _"Respectively Sir, this investigation isn't over. I need access to Saren's files. I don't trust the hearsay of humans either, but don't you think it's a stretch that this random dockworker knew of a classified agent's name?._ " -Detective Garrus Vakarian, C-Sec Investigations Department

" _Your request for those files is still denied, Detective. I also don't appreciate your attitude. For that, I'll present this to the Council myself. Meet me there in 20 minutes."_ -Executor Venari Pallin, Head of Citadel Security.

This promotion had been nothing but headaches, and his fringe twinged with stress. It was going to be a fun day. Garrus shook his head and ran to the elevator back to his office. _Goddamn intergalatic politics_. Pallin was so focused on his hatred for humans that it blinded him. Hate, anger, resentment. These things don't work well when looking for justice. This he knew.

But by the Spirits, wouldn't be nice to just deck the asshole.

The Council chambers reverberated with mystic echoes. It was just how the place was designed, to carry sound, and the hushed conversations around him became distant and almost reverent. It felt sacrosanct. He tapped his foot, watching the dignitaries and ambassadors file past him. He saw the elevators at the end of hall open, and some more people walk out. Three were heavily armed, but bodyguards were not unheard of up here. He heard Executor Pallin walk up behind him, and he turned his attention to him.

"Detective." Pallin said, "I trust you have the documents?"

"Of course, Executor." Garrus said, "But you need to give me more time."

"Why?"

"I've got another lead. A quarian in the wards-"

"A quarian, Detective? How does a quarian have anything to do with this investigation?" Pallin said, staring down at him.

"I received a tip, if you just-"

"You should be glad that your father is very well respected, Garrus." Pallin said, "Otherwise you'd have been thrown out a long time ago."

"Sir, Saren's hiding something." Garrus said, his gaze flicking to the side as three humans approached them. He recognized the one in front. Commander Shepard. "Give me more time! Stall them!"

He could hear the annoyed amusement in Pallin's subharmonics. "Stall the council? Don't be ridiculous. Your investigation is over, Garrus." Pallin turned around, taking the documents with him. Garrus cursed under his breath, feeling his fringe tickle with frustration. He decided to look at Shepard, analyzing her. It'd get his mind off things. He decided that the pictures represented her well. She was of average size for a human, and her armor had a white stripe on the right arm with another of stark red. On her chestplate was an insignia, that proudly stated N7. Her blue eyes were angrier than the ones in the pictures as they followed the Executor with disgust for a brief moment. He then walked up to her.

"Commander Shepard?" Garrus said, "I'm Garrus Vakarian. I was the officer in charge of the C-Sec investigation into Saren.

"Who was that?" Shepard said, tilting her head at the Executor as he climbed the steps. He was surprised by the distaste in her words.

"That was Executor Pallin, head of Citadel Security. My Boss. He'll be presenting my findings on Saren to the Council."

"Sounds like you really want to bring him down." Shepard noted.

"I don't trust him, or his story. Something about him rubs me the wrong way." Garrus said, crossing his arms. "But he's a Spectre. Everything he touches is classified. I can't find any hard evidence. Executor Pallin denied my requests to look into his files."

"At least you tried." Shepard said, "Your superior has no right to speak down to you like that."

"I guess not." Garrus said, "I'll just have to prove him wrong, won't I?"

The human at his side, _Alenka, or something?_ , said "I think the council is ready for us, Commander."

Garrus nodded. "You probably shouldn't keep them waiting. Good luck, Commander. I'll see if I can dig anything else up, but barring that...maybe they'll listen to you."

"Good luck with the rest of your investigation, Garrus." Shepard said, as she walked past him, with a confident nod. The other female human gave him a look of veiled disgust, and the human male puffed his chest out, looking down at him like a gorrilla. Garrus wanted to laugh, even that brief of meeting told him that Shepard definitely didn't need protecting. As he began to walk to the elevator, he couldn't help his thoughts rest on her. She was different, for a human. None of the hate, mistrust or indifference that came with their species' rough relations with his own. The other two reeked of it, but Shepard; Shepard was _different._

If anyone could convince the Council, he was sure it was her. She had that air that all his commanders did, of self-sure confidence forged in countless battles and reflected in the eyes of her subordinates. She was agreeable, and he just felt from her reports, from the stories, from how she phrased the words she spoke that her heart was in the right place. He imagined his father would say that she was 'good for a human'. He chuckled under his breath as the elevator deposited him on the presidium floor.

Garrus still needed to stop by Dr. Michel's clinic. Hopefully the quarian had the information he needed, but he couldn't fathom how she acquired anything like that. He needed to stop by his office first however. If his experience on the Citadel taught him anything, it was that he needed a weapon on his persons at all times in the Wards. He picked up a brisk pace as he crossed the Presidium proper, before again plunging into C-Sec Academy.

As he walked towards his office he sniffed the air. Something was off. It didn't smell like dust and navitas like it should. The door was closed. He narrowed his eyes, walking up to the door into his office, tapping the little console to watch it open but took a step to the side, behind the cover of the wall. A small tspk noise came from within and his eyes caught the new hole on the opposing wall. He leaned in, scanning the room. He sighed, as he made sure the room was empty; it was a mess in here now. His computer had been trashed, and files and documents lay spread across the floor. Where his chair sat there was a small cannister attached.

 _Someone wants you dead, Garrus._ He smiled. _Then it means we're on the right track._ He raised his arm, tapping into his omnitool what had happened, sending it to his floor manager. He examined what he could before the Turian came rushing down the hall.

"Garrus, I just saw. What-" his manager said, looking into the room. "By the Spirits."

"Yeah. Seem's my investigations have been kicking an angry varren." Garrus said.

"I'll pull up security footage, and have some of our people investigate." his manager said. "We'll find out who did this."

"Thank you." Garrus said, "I've got somewhere to be. A lead on a case down in the wards."

His manager nodded, letting him leave as he ran to the armory, grabbing his weapons. Prepared, he dashed down to the wards. He pushed through the crowds and found himself at the medical clinic. The doors were open, and he strode in. He paused when he heard a commotion in the back.

 _Shit. It's always got to be like this, doesn't it,_ he thought to himself, as he pulled his pistol from its holster and crept up behind a wall. Dr. Michel was in trouble, four mercs had her cornered, they were asking if she'd told Garrus about the quarian. She pleaded with them, begged, told them again and again, denying that she spoke a word to anyone. Garrus didn't like the situation.

That changed the second the doors to the clinic opened up and Commander Shepard walked through. Her eyes caught his, as they moved nonchalantly from the floor into a narrowed gaze at the mercs, bewilderment morphing into anger as she and her crew drew their weapons. The merc wrapped his arm around Dr. Michel, and pointed it at Shepard.

"Who are you?" The merc shouted.

"Let her go." Shepard demanded.

Garrus drew out from behind cover. The merc didn't have time to react before the Turian pulled the trigger, the sweet notes of gunfire blasting a hole in his head. Dr. Michel fell to the ground, screaming before Shepard moved in alongside him.

She took cover with her teammates on the right side of the room, him on the left. Bullets ricocheted off the tables and the walls, and then silence. He leaned out from cover, jumping behind it again as a bullet landed at his side.

"Covering fire." Shepard whispered, as she curled her pistol around the corner, firing randomly.

Garrus leaned out again, his sights aimed dead center. Every pull of the trigger was sweet, burning, like scratching the itch you couldn't reach. He grinned, as the second body slumped over. He stood, returning the favor as Shepard advanced, tossing a grenade to flush them out. One, two, three, and after the smoke settled, they walked through the wreckage to see if any were left alive.

He traced his eyes over their bodies, before he turned to Shepard, a confident smile spread across his face as he holstered his pistol. "Perfect timing, gave me a clear shot of the bastard."

Shepard had holstered her gun but said, "What the hell were you thinking, Garrus? You could have shot the hostage."

"I didn't-" Garrus started, before turning to Dr. Michel, "Dr. Michel, are you hurt?"

"No, I'm okay. Thanks to you. To all of you." She said, trying to calm her shaking hands.

Shepard said, "I'm glad to hear it, Dr. Michel. It was still a risky move, Garrus."

"I...yes. I'm sorry." Garrus said. _Do it right, Garrus, or don't do it at all._

I don't need another one of your lessons, Dad. Garrus shook his head.

"Do you know who these men were?" Shepard asked.

"Yes, they worked for Fist. They wanted to shut me up, keep me from telling Garrus here about the quarian." Dr. Michel said.

"Speaking of, I don't see her." Garrus said.

"She...left." Dr. Michel said. "She wanted to trade her information about the Geth for safety. I put her in contact with Fist, an agent of the Shadow Broker."

"Does this have anything to do with the investigation into Saren?" Shepard asked.

"I think it might." Garrus said. "This isn't the first time today I've seen someone out for me on this investigation. But if Fist sent these and those thugs, then he's not working for the Shadow Broker anymore. I think now he works for Saren."

"Fist betrayed the Shadow Broker? That's stupid, even for him." Dr. Michel said.

"No need to speculate, Garrus." Shepard said, "I've met a Krogan who's hunting Fist down for the Shadow Broker. He's going to help us hit his base"

"You're working with a Krogan?" Garrus asked. Shepard raised an eyebrow. He shook his head, trying to get his thoughts together. "Nevermind."

"I think it's time we paid Fist a visit." Shepard said to the other humans at her side who nodded and started to leave. Garrus looked at the dead bodies, felt the pistol still warm in his hands. This felt _right_. No, scratch that, this felt good. And, if this investigation was fruitful, then Shepard just might be the first human Spectre. She was halfway across the room now, she wasn't looking back.

"Commander Shepard!" Garrus shouted as he ran up behind her. She turned, giving him a questioning look. "Look, I know this is your show, but I want to bring Saren down just as much as you do."

She said,"Why do you want to bring him down?"

"I couldn't find the proof I needed during my investigation. But I know what was really going on. Saren is a traitor and a disgrace to my people!" Garrus said, "He tried to kill me, twice. I want to go with you and help. C-Sec is turning a blind eye to this. But with you, maybe we can get something done."

Shepard just stared him down. She was smaller than he was, but he waited on her every expression, eyes darting around her face, trying to figure out what she was thinking. She rubbed her jaw before a smile spread across her face.

"Welcome aboard, Garrus." Shepard said. "You have all your gear?"

"Of course, Commander." Garrus said.

"Another Alien, commander?" the other female human said.

"Have something to say, Williams?" Shepard asked, turning to her.

"Nothing ma'am. I just thought this was an Alliance operation." Her gaze darted at and then away from Garrus. He wanted to growl.

"Don't question your superior officers, Gunnery Chief." the male human said.

"Oh shut up, sir." Williams said.

"Both of you, cut it out." Shepard said, "I'm didn't sign up to babysit today. Go back up to the embassy and tell Wrex to meet us at Flux. You two are sitting this one out."

The male human's mouth opened and closed a few times. It reminded Garrus of a fish. "But, Commander- I-"

Shepard shook her head. "Go."

"Aye, Aye, Ma'am." Williams said, with a stiff salute. The male human followed in suit, but was shaking his head as they left. They watched them turn and take another corner away. Shepard sighed.

"Burden of being a commanding officer." Shepard said, with a shrug. She then looked to him and said, "So, Garrus, how about a drink?"

Garrus fell in line behind her as she began to weave her way through the crowds.

"Have you been to the Citadel before, Commander?" Garrus asked.

"Once when I was younger." Shepard said, "But I've also gotten some time to look around."

"We're headed to Flux, right?" Garrus asked.

"Unless you want to go somewhere else, Garrus." Shepard said.

"I don't mind. You're leading the way." Garrus said.

Shepard laughed at that, "You've been here longer, Garrus, you should know where all the good places are."

"I don't know about any good places that serve levo food and drink, Commander. Flux, I've been told, isn't that bad for that though." Garrus said.

"Right. Forgot about the whole DNA thing." Shepard said, "It's around this corner, isn't it?"

"Yes." Garrus said, "Haven't been down here in awhile."

"Don't go to clubs and bars often?" Shepard asked.

"Not nice ones." Garrus said. A sly smirk was across Shepard's lips. "Not for whatever you're thinking. I only go into them to talk to certain people, get information, a few arrests, here and there. C-Sec business."

"Right." Shepard said as they stepped into the club proper. The music's deep bass rumbled through his chest, his feet vibrating. He followed Shepard as she led them to the bar. Garrus flicked over some credits as he sipped on a Palaven Pale Ale. This had been an interesting turn of events, but here he was, waiting in a bar for someone named Wrex to help them hit Chora's Den, Fist's headquarters. Shepard was pleasant company, at the very least.

"So what's our plan?" Garrus asked.

"For what?"

"Chora's Den." Garrus said.

"Oh, well. We're heavily armed, and they probably know we're coming." Shepard said, twirling on the stool, leaning back on her elbows. "I've killed a few more assassins and thugs then I'd like. Probably going to have to kill more before the day is through."

"Right." Garrus said, "Things always so interesting around you?"

"What can I say? I attract danger." Shepard said, with a shrug, as if she asked the same question herself everytime she was in a firefight. She winked. "Hope you can keep up, Garrus."

"Don't worry. I'll be fine." Garrus said, "Did my fair share back in the Med Clinic."

"True." Shepard said, swirling her drink. "So what do you do, Garrus? I mean, specifically."

"Oh, I'm a Detective for the Investigations arm of C-Sec." Garrus said, "My unit is Special Investigations. We deal with higher level stuff, criminal conspiracies, terrorists."

"Sounds like you get a lot of action." Shepard said.

"You'd think that." Garrus said, "Mainly I just sit behind a desk, corralled by red tape and politics. It's good to be out in the field again."

"Been awhile?"

"Two years now, really." Garrus said

"Sure you won't be a bit rusty?"

"If you're worried about whether or not I can handle myself, don't worry." Garrus said, with an exaggerated turn of his head. "I was a top hand-to-hand specialist back in my days in the Turian Military." He leaned onto his elbows on the bar and continued, "I have some skills at hacking, and I'm decent with an Assault Rifle and Pistol."

Shepard said, "That all sounds great."

"I'm also the best sniper you'll ever meet." Garrus said, turning his head towards her. Shepard's eyebrows shot up as she grinned.

"Really?" Shepard said, "I'll have to put that to the test. I'm glad to have another sniper though. Everyone else just runs in with biotics and shotguns."

Garrus hummed in response. "Always hated shotguns. Too messy. Not my style."

"Ha!" Shepard laughed, "I know exactly how you feel."

They watched the people in the club dance and move about, laugh and be merry. Garrus let out a comfortable sigh, his subharmonics humming with ease.

"You know, Commander, I didn't know exactly what to think of you when I first saw you." Garrus said. "You're not like most humans."

"I'm happy to disappoint?" Shepard said.

"I don't mean anything by it, Commander." Garrus clarified, "It's just most humans, aren't...well, _friendly_ towards turians."

"That's because most see the different species as against one another." Shepard said, "My views are a bit more complex than that. There's bigger fish to fry."

"I'm glad you think that. The galaxy needs more people like that." Garrus said.

"You're not exactly what I expected out a Turian either, Garrus." Shepard said. "I thought you all played by the rules, no matter what."

"Well. Can't say I'm like that." Garrus said, with a chuckle. He raised his glass, with what little there was in it. "Here's to constantly disappointing one another."

Shepard laughed at that, they chatted about the going ons in the galaxy before their attention turned to the door as the Krogan, dressed in red and with a massive scar on his face entered. One of the door guards moved to intercept him, but with a single push he fell back and Wrex began to move towards them.

"Ready for a firefight?" Shepard said as they stood.

"Right behind you, Commander." Garrus said, following her out the door.

* * *

15 Followers! What a day! Thank you all for reading, following, etc. Please, leave a review, as I'm always looking for your opinions. Frankly, I felt like this was a bit of a weaker chapter, but here's more to come! Thank you, once again, for reading.


	6. A Part of the Family

They were arguing.

Garrus figured that when they saved Tali'Zorah, and retrieved her information, that this would be the end of it. They'd send everyone they could after Saren. They'd stop this threat before it could get any larger.

But instead, they were wound into all of this political infighting. Diplomats, ambassadors, councilors, they were all so concerned about things which didn't even matter, and ignored the things that had. By Garrus' count, they were already at war with the Geth. There would be no avoiding it.

Yet, he stood with Ashley, Kaidan, Tali, and Wrex, his arms crossed. They were just behind the main platform where Shepard was with Udina and Anderson.

"What are they doing?" Tali said, "My evidence was clear…"

"They're not arguing about whether or not Saren did it, Tali." Garrus said, "But what they are going to do about it."

"They're all spineless pyjacks." Wrex said.

"The Council has to look out for all species, not just their own." Kaidan said.

"When they're not too busy being anti-human." Ashley said, "Just look at the turian bastard."

Garrus raised an eyebrow plate.

"No offense." Ashley said.

"No scratches on my plates." Garrus said, "Sparatus isn't very subtle when it comes to his feelings on humans."

"'No scratches on my plates?'" Tali asked.

"Oh, it means...no personal offense taken, I guess." Garrus said. "Not sure what other species say.

"No hard feelings." Kaidan said.

"Why would feelings be hard?" Garrus asked.

"I-" Kaidan said, "Wait, look."

The heady silence of history and anticipation overtook him, as dignitaries and politicians began to watch the session. Garrus had missed something. It did not take long to realize what was going on. The councillors looked to one another.

"Commander Shepard, step forward." Tevos, the asari councillor said, "It is the decision of this council that you be granted all the powers and privileges of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch of the Citadel."

"Spectres are not trained, but chosen. Individuals forged in the fire of service and battle; those who actions elevate them above the rank and file." Valern, the salarian said.

"Spectres are an ideal, a symbol. The embodiment of courage, determination, and self-reliance. They are the right hand of the council, instruments of our will." Tevos added.

"Spectres bear a great burden. They are protectors of galactic peace; both our first and last line of defense. The safety of the galaxy is theirs to uphold." Sparatus said, "Yours, now too, Commander."

"Thank you. I am honored to serve humanity and this council." Shepard said, with a stiff bow.

"Your first assignment is to capture or eliminate Saren." Valern said, "You'll be following him into the Traverse."

"We will forward any relevant data to Ambassador Udina." Sparatus said. "We'll be keeping an eye on you, as well, Shepard."

"Monitoring, and guiding you." Tevos said. "This meeting of the council is adjourned."

Shepard spoke to Udina for a moment. His face was all stone, hard lines, and creases that were always stuck in an annoyed grimace. He stomped off, Anderson following him. Tali whispered something about him being an ungrateful bosh'tet. Garrus shook his head as the Commander was surrounded, and he watched from afar.

He had justed watched history in the making. If Garrus Vakarian had been told that in 48 hours, he would be packing his bags to join the newest and first human spectre to go on a man hunt across the stars, he would have asked what drugs were currently in their systems. Yet, here he was. They had fought through Chora's Den, killed Fist (And while Garrus was unhappy with the Krogan just murdering him, he felt some guilty pleasure in the fact that the man who had smuggled so many drugs was dead), and saved the Quarian. She was very quick to give them the information they needed and presented their findings before the council.

The reverie that he had fallen into was cut short by the stomping boots, and buzzing familiar sound of his boss.

"Garrus Vakarian!"

Pallin was stomping up to him, like a mad dog. His subharmonics glowered with disappointment, with a thirst for vengeance. He stepped right up and into Garrus' face.

"What have you to say for yourself, Detective?" Pallin said.

"For what, exposing a traitor?" Garrus said.

"You engaged in an illegal raid on Chora's Den, shot more than twenty individuals in the past five hours alone, and neglected your other duties as an officer of the law." Pallin said. "I will speak to your father about this."

"How is anything I did wrong, Executor?" Garrus said, growling. "I helped bring a Spectre to justice. I helped end some of the illegal drug trade, and trafficking market in the wards, and saved innocent civilians! My work is protected by dozens of legal codes."

"You directly disobeyed my order, Vakarian. You-"

"What is going on over here." Shepard stated, her words forming the foundations of a shout, as she moved in between them. Garrus flicked his eyes between the two, feeling Pallin's subharmonics switch over to a defensive posture. He was telling her to get lost. Garrus imagined how quickly he could rush his boss and take out his eyes.

"This has nothing to do with you, Commander Shepard." Pallin said.

"Like hell it does. Garrus helped me out, and this station and your response is to berate him for it?" Shepard said. Her voice was frozen rocks, all solid and biting. Garrus' mandibles fluttered, seeing her face tense up. "He just did your job ten times over."

"You have no right-" Pallin hissed.

"I am a Spectre, Pallin." Shepard spat, "And I will tell you to stand down whenever I so please. You do not get to wave your rank around and demand obedience when you obviously lack the competency to command it in the first place."

Damn. Garrus doubted she knew exactly how much an insult of that manner would mean to a Turian. Pallin shrunk back.

"Furthermore, there is never an excuse to become angry at your subordinates, Pallin. Even if they're incapable of following your orders, or doing the tasks you assigned them, that's your responsibility. Thankfully for you, in this case, Garrus was more than capable." Shepard said. "So get off his case; I don't have the time to deal with your fragile masculinities and insecure power complexes. Am I clear?"

Garrus realized his facial expression probably mirrored Pallin's at that moment. All confusion, and delayed shock. Garrus almost gasped from the noise that Pallin's subharmonics made. He was submitting to her. By the Spirits, Shepard. Remind me to not piss you off.

"Perfectly, Commander." Pallin said, his jaw clenched.

"Good." Shepard said. "Now, I need to speak to Detective Vakarian, privately."

Pallin stood back, as Shepard approached him. Garrus leaned in close. "Thanks" he whispered.

"Don't mention it. You're a part of my crew." Shepard said with a smile, "I actually wanted to ask you something, Garrus."

"What is it, Commander?" Garrus asked.

"I want you to join me in hunting down Saren." Shepard said. Garrus' felt his eyes light up.

"I- Wow. Of course, Commander." Garrus said.

"That won't be a hassle, will it?" Shepard said, "I know I'm asking at the last moment and it's all rushed, but I-"

"Don't worry, Commander. I know." Garrus said, "I was...actually hoping you'd ask me to join you. I'm tired of the Citadel. I'm tired of C-Sec. I'm tired of...whatever that was. This'll be a nice break."

"Well, grab your gear and meet us at the the Normandy. We leave in 6 hours." Shepard said, before popping up her omnitool, "There's my number. Message me if you need anything."

"Will do, Commander." Garrus said. She started to move back towards the group of stunned humans who apparently watched this little debacle and now whispered amongst each other. "and...thank you for this."

"As I said, Vakarian," Shepard said, "Don't mention it. See you soon."

She waved at him, and he raised a talon in response. She was something different entirely. Pallin moved back in towards him then, always watching her leave.

"Garrus, I apologize. But there are official channels that you should have thought to remember. We can talk about this more back at the station."

"No need." Garrus said, "I quit."

Pallin said, "Garrus- I "

"No, Pallin. I'm done." Garrus said. "The Commander has offered me a position on her squad. Not the best exit, I know, but I think this works out better for the both of us." Pallin was adrift in his own thoughts as he nodded. He left, his face and vocals speaking all that he might ever want to say. Garrus sighed, his shoulders drooping as he leaned his head against a nearby wall. He laughed under his breath before regaining his composure, and leaving for his apartment. Six hours to pack, to say goodbye to whoever he needed to.

He stopped by his office, picking up what little he wanted, and saying goodbye to his secretary and a few members of C-Sec, before heading back to his apartment in the wards. He strolled through the streets, just absorbing it all in. It reminded him of how it felt before being shipped off to basic. He'd inhale the air and assure himself that he was here, right now, and that he'd come back one day.

The winds of Palaven hummed across the gentle, warm plains. It was early morning, and he watched the sun rise. He watched it, because he hadn't ever before. It was strange. All the little things he took for granted. He was awake and alive and it was his last day as a child. He could hear his mother in the kitchen behind him, cooking breakfast. He'd leave in two hours. When they first saw each other in the morning they both turned away from one another. As she cooked, it was in silence, not humming like she used to. He wasn't sitting on a stool beside the island, watching, talking with her. Now, he was in his cadet's uniform, all pressed and nicely folded.

His sister, Solana woke up in a foul-mood. She stomped up to the table, sitting down, her arms crossed, mandibles closed tightly to her jaw. She was two years younger than he, and by the time he finished basic and his first deployment, she'd have entered basic herself. Garus sat down beside her and picked at the wonderful botellminis his mother had made. His favorite.

His mother smiled, and spoke, her voice like gentle waves, "How proud your father would be to see you right now. He told me to tell you good luck, and to expect to hear from him when you're done."

Garrus leaned into the arm she offered to him. He trilled, feeling her subharmonics beam with pride, and joy. But Solana, she ran back to her room, and he called to her. Following her into the little room, the curtains rustling in golden arches of sunlight. She pulled away from him, humming with loss and sadness. He sat beside her on the bed, his hand reaching out to stroke her collar.

"It isn't fair." Solana whispered into her pillow.

"I know." Garrus said. He sighed, his spine finally slacking. "By the Spirits, I know."

She turned to him. "Four years."

"It'll pass by faster than you think." Garrus said, with a smile. "Come on. We've got to get going. I'll miss my transport if we don't"

"Then stay." Solana said, "Screw the hierarchy."

"Solana." Garrus said, his voice darkening.

"I know." Solana said, as she twisted about and sat beside him. "I...I'm going to miss you."

"I'm going to miss you too." Garrus said.

"You better call and write every day." Solana said. "And you better come home, right away."

"I can't make any promises."

"Please?" Solana said, laying her head on his shoulder, her eyes twinkling.

Garrus smiled. How could he say no? "Promise." He said.

He tapped a quick message to his sister, as he kept moving. He walked over and past the familiar cracks in the cement, across the little dirty places and through the crowds that he knew so well. Every step was calm and steady, his eyes dancing over the little things. The man on the corner making noodles, the woman who sat at the booth beside him, eyes glossed over, the children playing and running around, the turian man whose face was scarred, bitten by war who watched him. Old, young, all found their home here. He had too.

He slipped into his apartment block, turning on the lights. It was small, but it served what little needs he had. He pulled out his old Turian Military bag, gently placing it on the bed as he searched through the old drawers and closets. As he was about to finish, his Omnitool went off. He tapped it and it came up on the Vidcom near his bed. She was outside, the Palaven sun setting far behind her.

"Solana." Garrus said with warm, open subharmonics.

"Hello, Garrus." Solana said. "I got your message. What's up?"

"I…" Garrus said, with a thoughtful hum.

"Garrus, what did you do?" Solana asked, "Who do I have to kill?"

Garrus laughed, "No, no one. I'm not in trouble."

"Then what's going on?"

"I'm leaving C-Sec." Garrus said. His mandibles fluttered as he was met with silence.

"Dad's going to be pissed. Have you told him?" Solana asked.

"No." Garrus said, "But I won't be surprised if he's heard."

"What are you going to do, Garrus? You can't just not have a job aboard the Citadel." Solana said.

"I know."

"Then what's your plan?"

"I'm...I'm going with a Spectre." Garrus said, twisting his hands.

"By the Spirits, Garrus, do you want Dad to murder you?"

"Ha." Garrus said, "No. Not really."

"So, what's the mission? Which Spectre are you going with?" Solana asked, "Turian? Salarian?"

"No."

"An asari?" Solana said, her subharmonics betraying her.

"Actually it's a human." Garrus said.

Solana's browplates shot up, and her mandibles fluttered as she blinked a few times. "I-how-" She shook her head, "When did that happen? Who?"

"Her name is Commander Shepard; and I'm helping her on her first mission: to hunt down and apprehend Saren Arterius." Garrus said.

"Saren?!" Solana said, "He went rogue?"

"Attacked a human colony in the Attican Traverse." Garrus said.

"Damn." Solana replied, biting her tongue. "I mean- I had heard stories about him from Dad, and like, don't get me wrong, I'm not a big fan of aliens either-but attacking the humans? What was he thinking?"

"I know." Garrus said. "That's why we're going after him in the Traverse."

Solana hummed in contemplation. "Well, be safe, Garrus. Keep in contact when you can."

"Yes, Ma'am." Garrus said, straightening his posture and saluting.

"You're a dork." Solana said. "And don't worry, I won't tell Dad."

"Love you too, Solana." Garrus said, as the call terminated.

He gathered his things, and headed to the docking bay. He took one last glance back into his apartment as he switched off the lights. He felt a little giddiness spring into each of his steps as he boarded a skycar back closer to the Presidium. He was caught in the wonderment of the Widow Nebula before they set down near C-Sec Academy.

The Normandy was waiting, and ready. As he stepped onto the docking platform he stopped, his breath caught in his chest. She is beautiful. His eyes traced her intricate design, her state of the art prototype stealth systems. The Normandy was shaped like a Turian cruiser, and as he approached the docking personnel he sat back in awe as they took his bags.

His first step onto the ship was greeted by some strange looks from the humans, but he paid them no attention. He walked about the Combat deck, like a child, all wide and bright eyes. He walked up to the cockpit, letting his hands touch the controls of the ship, before he walked back to the Galaxy Map. It reminded him of his time in the military, aboard the PFS Accipiter. The Captain would stand there, overlooking the rest of his troops.

"Vakarian!" He heard Shepard call out as she exited from the doors that led down into the hold. He saluted her. She shook her head and gave him an odd expression, that was half smile and half amusement. "No need for formalities, Garrus."

"Yes, Commander." Garrus said, "Sorry."

Shepard laughed, "I knew Turians were serious, but I didn't realize getting you on a ship would turn you into soldier mode."

"It's just a part of our military, Commander." Garrus said, "It's drilled in us from a young age to respect the line of command."

"Well, you're not officially part of the Alliance, so don't sweat it." Shepard said. "Come on, let me show you around."

Garrus nodded as she led them through the Combat deck, before taking them back into the communications and briefing room. The lay out was turian in design still, no table like in the few Alliance ships he'd seen. The chairs were a bit smaller than he'd like, and there were a few more than he expected.

"We'll meet here to brief and debrief before every mission." Shepard said.

"Who all will be joining us?" Garrus asked.

"The rest of the ground team." Shepard said.

"Should I meet them?"

"You already have?" Shepard said, "I convinced Tali and Wrex to join us, and they'll be accompanied by Ashley and Kaidan."

"I thought there'd be more humans." Garrus tilted his head, "I didn't realize the Alliance was conscripting that many aliens."

"They don't like it." Shepard said, "But I frankly don't care. You all have shown remarkable skill and talent and I need that if I'm to take down Saren."

Garrus grinned. "Very well, Commander." Garrus said. "Lead on."

She led him downstairs and through the mess, near her quarters, and the med-bay before taking them down the elevator to the main shuttle bay and drive core. She explained the crafting of the ship, and he interjected when he noticed the turian design elements that she spoke of.

Finally she said, "Your possession are in that locker over there. You'll probably stay down here, seeing as we don't have enough beds on the upper deck anyways." She paused, rubbing her chin. "I don't think we even have any bunks for someone of your size, anyways."

"I noticed that." Garrus said, "Besides your bed, that is."

Shepard's head jolted back on her neck as she looked at him with wide eyes, her cheeks flaring on his thermal scanners. He watched her then bring down her eyebrows and shake her head. He realized his mistake and his mandibles twitched. Stupid innuendos.

"I-yes. You're right." Shepard said, with a brief laugh.

"Sorry, Commander, didn't mean to imply-"

"It's fine, Garrus." Shepard said, "It's true anyways. I'll get a bunk down here though that'll fit you before we leave dock."

"Thank you, Commander." Garrus said, "I do need my beauty sleep."

"Right." Shepard said, her voice low and drawn out. "Any other questions?"

"Where am I positioned in case of battle?" Garrus asked.

"What can you do?" Shepard asked.

"I'm good with machines. I worked as both a technician for shuttles and at the main batteries of a few warships in my past."

"I guess you'll be down here then." Shepard said, "We already have Ashley as Gunnery Chief, but I guess you can help her if we are engaged in space. During the meantime, you can do the repairs for the Mako."

"I think I'll have to read up on that." Garrus said. "No time like the present." He shifted his weight. "Thank you, for this opportunity."

"Geez, Garrus, you might have to tell me that a few hundred more times before I'm going to get tired of it." Shepard said, her voice dripping with mock agony. "But, you're welcome. We'll be meeting up in the debriefing room a few minutes before departure, so keep an eye out for that."

Garrus nodded, as he began to look at the new hardware that was under his charge. The M35 Mako. An infantry fighting vehicle. Designed by the Systems Alliance, it replaced the M29 Grizzly as the model rapid infantry deployment vehicle. Pressurized...meant for all terrain and extreme heat, cold and other hazards…

He continued to skim the manual until his omnitool flashed once again. Garrus read the ID on who was calling. Citadel Security. Vakarian. He ground his teeth together, his finger hovering over the ignore button. He hissed as it surrendered to his better self.

"Hello Dad." Garrus said, straightening his back.

"Garrus." His father said, his voice dark as night. He was in his office, the orange sheen of screens glowing on his face. "I've heard some disconcerting rumors."

"Oh?" Garrus asked.

"Did you leave C-Sec, Garrus?" His father asked.

Garrus straightened his posture and let loose a small burst of air from his nose, clenching his mandibles tightly to his face. "Yes."

"Garrus-" His father gave an exasperated sigh. He could feel the man shake his head in disappointment in his silence. "I don't know what to say. What will your mother think?"

Garrus hated being scolded. He had already turned his face away, locked in onto the tires of the Mako instead of the video feed. "What does it matter?" he mumbled.

"It matters to me, son. You are a Vakarian, and that means-"

"Dad." Garrus said. "I'm busy right now, and I'm not a kid anymore. I can make my own decisions."

"Will you not even consider my words?"

"I don't need this from you,, Dad." Garrus said. "Two years of silence on the same goddamn station, and the first time I hear from you this entire time is when you call me up to tell me I'm a failure. The first time!"

Garrus shook his head, staring at the image of his father. He was quiet for a moment.

"I...I never said-"

"Your subharmonics were." Garrus said.

"I'm sorry, Garrus."

Garrus looked away as he spoke. "I'm going to do good work for the galaxy, Dad. I'm helping hunt down a rogue Spectre. I'd think that'd would at least make your proud."

"But you're doing it with one, Garrus." His father said, "What happens when this...this human goes rogue? Will you hunt her down too?"

"You don't even have the right to say that."Garrus snarled into the line. "You've never even tried to learn about humans, let alone this one. I don't want to listen to your xenophobia and bigotry. The war was decades ago."

"It's not about that, Garrus, it's about-"

"What!? What is it about, Dad?" Garrus said, "What do you want from me? To keep working at a job I hate, letting injustice run free? When have we ever made a dent on all the darkness in the galaxy, dad? When, in all of your years of prestigious work on the Citadel has crime actually gone down?!"

The line was silent. Garrus sighed, leaning his head against the side of the Mako. Over the ship wide intercoms it was announced that the ship would be leaving soon and that all ground team members were to assemble in the debriefing room.

"I...Look. I've got to go. I'm sorry." Garrus said. "I'll try to keep in touch."

His father didn't respond immediately. "Stay safe, Garrus."

Garrus was going to respond in kind but the line went dead. Stubborn asshole, he probably got it all from him anyways. He bit his tongue, licking the insides of his teeth. He punched the side of the Mako, grunting in pain as he felt his knuckles protest. Stepping away, he breathed deep the cool, filtered air, and started towards the elevator. He hoped that this conversation wasn't to be his last with his father. But it haunted him all the way up to the chair where he sat, waiting for the Commander.

They filed in one by one, taking their seats. The quarian, Tali'Zorah Nar Rayya if he remembered correctly, took a seat to his right, and Urdnot Wrex two seats down on the right, leaving space between them. He grunted an acknowledgement of Garrus when he sat down, the seat obviously a bit encumbered by his weight. Tali merely squeaked as she passed him and took a seat. He gave her a reassuring smile, but without a face, he could only see her shift nervously in her seat.

The humans sat down on the opposite of the room, side by side. They murmured amongst themselves, and Garrus swore he saw an eye glance once or twice in their direction. Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko and Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams. Their vocal tones belied an almost antagonist relation to their crewmates. He didn't look forward to mission with them.

"Alright everyone." Shepard announced as she stepped into the room. "We're setting off from the Citadel in twenty minutes. Just finishing up our pre-flight checks. Plenty of time to finish this little briefing and get on our way."

Shepard walked over to the main screen, turning it on. "Our target is Saren Arterius." She said, images of him floating onto the screen. "You'll find in attachments sent to your omnitools all the relevant data and information from the Citadel Archives on him. I expect you all to read up and study him and his methods."

"Does he bleed?" Wrex grumbled. Shepard shot him an inquisitive glance. "Sorry, Shepard. Krogan don't do homework. If it can be hurt by bullets that's all I need to know."

Shepard shook her head, before she continued, facing to the screen."We've gotten a few leads."

The planet Therum appeared, listing official Alliance and Citadel Space data and hazards. Garrus noted that it had higher gravity and was a warmer than Palaven. He'd have to adjust his shots accordingly. "Our first stop is here, in the Artemis Tau cluster. We'll have to make three jumps to get there, so our arrival date is approximately four days from now. We'll be investigating Benezia's daughter, one Dr. T'soni."

"An Asari?" Ashley asked. Shepard grimaced at her.

"Williams, I don't like pulling rank, but if you can't control your xenophobia, then get off of my ship before we leave the Citadel. I get enough of it from Pressley." Shepard said. Ashley quieted down. Garrus wanted to laugh. He felt that was inappropriate.

Another planet flicked onto the main screen. "After that we'll be heading to Feros, a small colony in the Attican Beta. Reports have come in about the Geth in that area. The surface is congested with Prothean ruins, so it's highly likely that they're investigating that."

Shepard then tapped her omnitool again, a frozen planet appearing. Garrus groaned as he read over the stats for that planet. It was to be a frozen, bureaucratic nightmare. "Noveria will be our last stop. Similar to Feros, we've gotten unconfirmed sightings of Geth near the Capital of Port Hanshan."

"Any questions?" Shepard then said, spinning around.

"None, Ma'am" Kaidan said. The rest of the crew threw glances around with small nods. Garrus leaned forward into his hands.

"Then you're all dismissed. I'll be making rounds after we depart." Shepard said, as she stepped out of the room. Garrus stood, stretching as the others followed in suit. This was going to be a hell of a ride. That was for certain.

* * *

Happy New Year! Here's to a productive year full of writing and good times! Hope you are well, and thank you for reading!


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